Undecided
by Ran and Shao
Summary: They hated each other, as Water and Fire should. But in desperate times, desperate efforts are made. Dreams come and go, but for Zuko, this dream doesn't plan on leaving. Darkish Zutara. Gore and Violence. Lemon later on?
1. Adrift

**Ran here! This is another solo project of mine. And sorry about our updating delay on When Rocks Fall and Spirits Stray. We started Breaking Dawn you see, and we can't seem to focus on much else. Well, I hope I'm not too distracted to write a good story. This might be one chapter, I dunno. It depends on how many reviews I get and what they say. Sooo...Yeah...Review please. Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar in any way.**

Better Summary: This takes place in the Avatar world, but has almost nothing to do with the story line. Katara was sent to fight in the war, but she wasn't too victorious, being a young girl and all. The Firenation troops that were sent to eradicate the village Katara was sent to protect are led by Prince Zuko.

--

Drifting felt so nice.

The frigid, rushing current carried her beaten, charred body down the valley, through the snow patched mountain range. She hadn't been able to hold back the flames, and the faces of the innocent were still watching her.

Even though they were all dead.

Her mind was trapped between the reality of the harsh winter, and the illusion of her oncoming death. Which one was real, she didn't care. Death would come no matter what.

Her mind had failed to detect that the generous current had placed her on the soft sands of a secluded beach. Then, it left her there and continued snaking its way through the mountain range.

Katara's face was locked in a daze, her clear blue eyes seeing through everything, as if nothing was there. The bare, bone white trees swayed gently over her ravished body, casting speckled, filtered shadows amongst the sand. She heard song birds somewhere in the blank void that was the world. Her slow, dying breaths came out as an icy mist, and her usually honey brown skin was shockingly pale. Her frozen lips matched the color of the deep water, a deep ominous cerulean.

All she could do was wait for death to come embrace her.

--

"Set up camp here! Take the Rhinos to the river!"

A constant stream of commands rang out among the disgruntled soliders, and the sound of unfurrling canvas and clashing cookware created a symphony of movement.

Prince Zuko sat atop his Komodo Rhino, a look of boredom on his face. He wanted to go home so badly. This damn cold was nearly unbearable. Who could live like this?! And why had Azula been sent to Omashu?! Zuko was more than capable of taking over a petty Earth Kingdom city!!

When the hurried guards finally asembled the Prince's tent, he let himself inside and laid out his belongings. He pondered his battle plans as he rolled out his turtle duck feather stuffed sleeping mat. He then spread out the thick, tanned parchment in front of him, the maps easily taking up the entirety of his floor.

They were located somewhere slightly north of the Fahn Ty Mountain Range, just as the foothills. They had gotten an approximate handle on where the were when they had located the bend of the Goshen River. He traced his pale finger over thier march, ending up at a narrow turn in the river. It would open up to a small lake futher on.

The Goshen River...

Legends said that the water that ran through it was sacred, because the Spirit of the Moon bathed herself in it evey night, blessing the chilling waters. But that was an old Water Tribe story meant to put children to sleep. It was so common that even Zuko knew it, and he grew up in a whole different world.

His attention returned to the maps and charts in front of him. Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose and looked to the ground. Whenever he was stressed, he found himself performing this annoying habit.

As he removed his top knot and let his grown out hair trail toward his shoulder, a guard called from outside the tent flaps.

"Prince Zuko! The scouts have returned."

"Did they find the lake?" He sounded uniterested in what the guard had to say.

"Uh, yes sir. And they made one other discovery"

Zuko's eyes darted up to meet the man's. Something happened that wasn't by plan? "What is it?"

"It's... A girl, Prince Zuko."

"A girl? Is she alive?" Zuko interest peeked. He loved when something happened that wasn't according to plan. Is usually benefitted him. And helped him show up Azula.

"Barely. But there is an issue."

"Please be clear with your report, private" Zuko's hushed tone incurred a feeling of dread in the private.

"Y-yes sir! She seems to be the Waterbender we fought at the last raid. That small girl with the terrible temper."

Oh, Zuko remembered her. It had been exceedingly unusual to see a Waterbender among a squarderon of Earthbenders. And what was even more unusual was that she had been the only one. She had been the last one standing, and through it all, she had a wicked smile on her face, enjoying the sight of his men being washed away. But, before Zuko could finish her off himself, she was ambushed from the trees and sent crashing into the river. They all assumed she had been killed when she was engulfed by the fire.

"Sir? Should we finish her?"

"..." Zuko thought of how she could prove an advantage to him. "Actually private, bring her here."

"S-sir?! She killed twelve of our men, I don't think it would be wise t-"

"Are you defying me, Private Mong?" Zuko voice was laced with the promise of the most painful death imaginable, even though it was hushed and calm.

"N-n-no! Prince Zuko I would never-" He waved his hands in front of his face as though he were swatting away the very thought.

"Good. Now, please carry out your task." he cooly motioned to the opening.

"Yes sir! Right away sir!" he dashed out of the tent, his frantic words trailing behind him.

--

Colors danced before her eyes, mostly shades of prismatic white and pale blue. They swirled, trying to form the outline of the trees for her, though they couldn't seem to allign themselves. Her chilled lips trambled, trying to form words.

What were they? She had no clue. Why would she try to speak? Not the vaguest idea. Maybe her body was trying to call for help?

Her soothingly colored companions were chased out and replaced by shades of bloody crimson and highlights of gold. This flustered and confused her. But something confused her even more.

Warmth.

She felt her body being lifted from the cold ground, and she was suddenly warm. Her body began to thaw like ice.

Her mind was scattered, ripped from the murkiness. Who was it? Was she dead? What was going on?!

Katara had been so sure that she was dead. How did she survive? All those infernos, swallowing her, carring her, turning her skin to ash. But...

Then eveything started to glow when she hit the water. She had been dead for a while that much was certain, but there was no way she could still be alive.

Katara distinctly remebered the angelic white light wrapping around her body, making her whole again, turning ash back into flesh, and filling in her burnt out eye sockets with the liquid saphire that had previously inhabited them.

And the voice. The serene, icy voice.

--

_"I will give you life, if you can give the world life in return"_

_"...Of course" Katara's voice had sounded like rasping metal._

_"Find the Avatar, and you will find me again" _

_Katara opened her new eyes just in time to see a fading figure. She was beautiful, dressed seemingly in clouds and mist, with cascading white hair._

_Somehow Katara knew who she was._

_The Moon Spirit..._

_--_

Katara felt that her body was wrapped in thick furs, but she also felt the vice like bonds on the wrists and ankles.Then she could hear rough, masculine voices. They hard to decifer, thanks to the pounding headache and thrummed in her ears.

"We can't allow her to live! You all witnessed her power!"

"But think. She completly repaired her body! We razed her to ashes! Literally!"

"How can you tell she's the waterbender?! Maybe this a different girl!"

"She was the only one there. Besides, I remember her face very clearly."

"...You are insane for even thinking about letting her live."

"I know, but...I have an ominous feeling..."

"Private Mong, you have an 'ominous feeling' about everything!"

"..."

"What do you think, Prince Zuko?" Katara listened, pretending to be unconscious for the time being. She felt that her body was wrapped in thick furs, but she also felt the vice like bonds on the wrists and ankles.

It was a while before a husky voice broke the silence.

"Why not? It she turns out to be more than we can handle, we hav more than enough to men to kill her all over again."

"But, Prince Zuko! What could we possibly gain fro-"

"She brought herself back to life. What more is there to think about? Imagine having that kind of power on our side, what we could do with it. We would be unstopable." The Prince's voice stayed calm and collected.

"What if she refuses?"

A chuckle came from the depths of Zuko's chest. "We'll just have to kill her."

Katara's blood froze.

Did they think that she could heal people? She had never tried.

What if it turned out she didn't have the gift? They would kill her on the spot. She laid still, but fully aware of what was going on around her.

The Prince spoke again "Wake her up and feed her before she withers away. I don't want my prodigal healer to die on me" She heard the whisper of his body leaving the tent.

Roughly, the men left in the tent shook her. "Wake up, peasant!"

Her cerulean eyes instictively shot open when she was jarred. Her eyes met the intimidating brown eyes of the solider that the voice belonged to.

She put up a defiant front and kept her mouth shut.

"Don't be stubborn." His voice was violent, but suggestive.

Stubbernly, she allowed herself to be fed the burning hot soup.

But only because she had to live.

She had to find the Avatar, and keep her promise to the Moon Spirit.

--

**Okay, I lied. I'm totally gonna write another chapter! But i still want the reviews! I wanna know what you guys think! Any suggestions or corrections are appreciated. Thanks for reading!!**


	2. Test

**Hi! I live that I got review so soon on the last chapter. Thanks guys! Sorry about our delays. School is, you know, all up in our coon wounds. But I have a bit more free time than Shao, so here I am, trying to pass the time. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar.**

--

Hours passed like months.

Scowling faces loomed over her, trying to intimidate her. But Katara was stronger than that.

Her body was still wrapped in a cocoon of furs and bindings, her arms pinned to her sides and all hope of escaping was laughable.

Platinum blue eyes scanned the faces of all the men that came and went through Zuko's tent. They seemed hateful towards her.

Who did she kill that was so significant? Or could it be that they were afraid of her?

She never dropped her defiant pretense, wanting all the soldiers to know that she would destroy them at the drop of a hat.

And the men seemed to get the message loud and clear.

The prince sat opposite of her, leafing through weighty tomes and ancient scripts. What were they? And why would they be so useful to him?

As the hours continued to crawl by, Zuko broke the prolonged silence by engaging her in conversation. Not that he cared about her, just her abilities.

"How did you acquire the gift?"

Katara jumped, surprised by his voice, "Gift?"

"You're healing?"

"Oh…it just…came"

"Really?"

"Yep" her voice had a trace of attitude mingled within it.

Zuko's eyebrow twitched. "How do you use it? Is it a Waterbending talent?"

"I don't know, I just do it." She was shocked he couldn't tell she was lying.

Obliviously, Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and left out an irritated sigh. "What I mean is-"

"Prince Zuko!" A panting soldier burst through the tent flaps. "We found an injured Firebender!" The man gave a meaningful glance toward Katara, "One of the men that were impaled by ice in the first assaults."

Katara smirked, letting Zuko see her delight. "I remember that."

"Witch!" The man took a threatening step toward her.

"Enough, soldier!" Zuko stopped him with a single command. The man even took an extra step back. "Bring the injured man in here. We'll find out whether the Waterbender is worth keeping around or not." His words crashed upon Katara like a towering wave.

Why was he the only one she feared?

--

"Who is it?" The voice had a thousand echoes behind it.

"You know who I am, Avatar."

"Ue? Is something happening?"

"Avatar Roku, it seems Aang's consciousness is due to awaken any day now."

"Hmmm…"

"Is something troubling you, Avatar?"

"Will Katara make it in time?"

"Of course. Unexpected aide will come soon."

--

Smoke rose from the campfire outside, rising to be illuminated in the foggy moonlight.

Inside Zuko's tent, the man was laying on a fur mat, his gaping raw wound displayed in front of Katara.

She wanted to scream at them all, tell them to leave her alone and let her return home. Tell them to go jump of the tallest mountain, or eat seal droppings.

So much rage inside her. She was amazed she wasn't shivering.

She rambled, trying to stretch out her allotted time, to figure out a way to weasel out of this.

But Zuko and his squad of Firebenders were there to prevent just that.

"His chest has been opened up entirely, and one lung has been collapsed."

"Well, now that you know what's wrong, fix it." No matter the situation, Zuko was always so collected, his pallid face never crinkling in anger or disgust.

He never ceased to amaze her.

"Well, I need water first of all."

"So it is a Waterbending trick?" Zuko retaliated.

"Yes it is, now water please" Her tone was snappy, and surprisingly, it didn't bother Zuko. In fact, the tinniest smile touched his face, but faded just as quick as it had come.

Cautiously, nearby soldiers filled a tarnished silver dish with clear water from the Goshen River, placing it stiffly in front of her. She caught a hidden whisper of "witch" They were still sore over their lost men, making Katara's face light up with a grin.

By second nature, she took the water through an acrobatic loop above her head. Several of the soldiers gasped and took panicked steps back. Katara loved it.

Seeing nothing else to do, she brought the water gently to rest in the man's opened chest cavity.

Nothing.

Time continued to pass, and still…

Nothing.

Zuko shifted his weight to his other foot. "How quickly does it work?"

"Shh!!" Katara snapped, pretending to be deep in thought. A storm cloud passed over every face in the tent.

Except Zuko's, who once again hid a tiny smile.

Still nothing.

Sighing, Katara let go of the water letting it seep deep on the recesses of the ripped chest.

Then, something finally happened.

The water began to glow and chime, as if it was singing.

Everyone in the tent gasped. Even Katara. Even Zuko. Even the man whose chest had been ripped open.

He was alive again. How, Katara had no clue.

"She's a spirit!!" Several of the soldiers bolted out of the tent, dropping their spears behind them. The braver of the men shielded their eyes from the light as it began to illuminate not only the tent, but also the surrounding tents.

Soon, the glow of the water drowned the moonlight. Then, it was gone.

Just gone.

--

Dinner was served in a stiff fashion.

A thin soup served with a slice of hard bread in a cheap metal bowl.

Katara grimaced as Zuko placed the bowl in front of her. "Wow. You sure are living it up, aren't you?" Her bonds had been removed, but only because she was in the exact center of a camp filled with over a hundred armed and deadly Firebenders and their Prince, who seemed to waver between unreadable and easily angered.

"You would do well to watch your tongue" Zuko responded, sounding distracted, as he continued to leaf through his dusty scrolls.

"I didn't get to where I am by watching my tongue."

"Oh, you mean captured by the Firenation, forced to tend to every wound and grovel before every soldier?" Zuko peeked over his scroll, waiting for his response.

She was starring directly into his liquid gold eyes, matching his composed glare. Azure clashed with topaz, and that was all.

No response, no snappy rebuttal. It was as if they were talking with their eyes, making threats to each other's life and loving every second of it.

"I hate you," She finally mumbled through gritted teeth.

"_I'm_ not interested" He looked back to his papers, hiding behind them once again. Hiding his quiet smirk. How could she be a Waterbender? Her personality was sweltering!

She bit into the hard bread, soon wishing that she hadn't. It was like trying to eat a rock! And the soup was nothing more than water boiled with some sort of game bird.

"So…is there anything _edible_ here?" Katara tried to hide the attitude, but did a poor job.

"Be lucky you're even alive." His response was blunt and short, like everything he said.

" You don't seem like a bad person, Zuko" She abruptly changed the subject.

"It's _Prince_ Zuko, actually" He put his papers on the floor, revealing his finally miffed expression.

"Like I care. Anyway…" She rolled her hand in a 'moving on' gesture, "Why are you here? What motivates you to kill all these people?"

Shouts rang out from the soldiers, beckoning for Zuko's advise.

He rose and moved to leave the tent, but Katara latched one hand onto his knee. She didn't physically stop him, he stopped by his own choice. She looked up at him.

"I've grown up alongside manipulation, and believe me, you have nothing against what I've dealt with." He still didn't move, and his voice was like ice again. "But, to answer your question…" He was now whispering, "I have no idea."

Zuko left the tent leaving a confused Waterbender in his wake.

--

So he didn't want to be here?

Maybe he was just talking about the specific geographic location? Or maybe he just meant the camp?

Girlishly, Katara pulled her knees into her chest and rocked ever so slowly. Her loose brown hair swathed down her back and enclosed her face.

What a terrible week this turned out to be. First her and her brother Sokka were assigned to different war groups, then the note sent to her by her father was intercepted. And on top of that, her group was ambushed by a substantial force of Firebenders.

And now this confusion.

Sighing, she rubbed her temples, willing this all away. She imagined being back in the South Pole, with her family.

Giving up, she listened in on the conversations around her. The canvas did a phenomenal job of keeping the cold out, but no so much the sounds.

Maybe it would end soon, and she would be on her way to fulfilling the Moon Spirit's request.

Zuko eventually returned to find Katara sleeping, still hugging her knees.

He could only shake his head and smirk. She was so undaunted and relaxed. She had faced death numerous times already, and had actually been burnt to cinders.

Zuko found himself wishing that Firenation girls were more like her.

--

**So sorry about that little wait. School, ya' know? Eew! Government and econ, and English 4. And cooking isn't what I thought it was going to be like at all. Ugh. Review please.**


	3. Too Close

**Oh, how I detest school. Anyway, love the reviews! They make me happy. So anyway, this chapter might be a bit confusing, so you might need to read over the names a couple times. If there are any obvious, stupid errors, a notice would be cool. Review please?  
I do not own Avatar.**

**--**

Bronze rays of sunshine illuminated her honey brown skin, and the sound of migrating songbirds supplied a lulling ambience. The sunlight had breached the slit of the tent, allowing a slim view of the bustle outside.

Katara stretched, rolling her wrists and arching her back. She had fallen asleep in a rather uncomfortable position. The furs spread out on the floor were only thick where Zuko slept, and Katara didn't even want to be in the same tent as him.

Once she had awoken in the middle of the night to find herself mere inches away from him, she scooted away, residing herself to the cold ground.

Struggling to ignore her throbbing aches, Katara acted as if it were just an ordinary morning. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and yawned.

A first sweep of the tent revealed that Zuko had already left.

A second sweep revealed that, not only was Zuko gone, but so were his staggering piles of dusty tomes and racks of scrolls.

What on earth was he up to? More importantly, was she allowed to leave the tent? If she took the risk and walked out of the tent, she faced being burst to cinders by the jumpy soldiers.

Again.

But if she was indeed permitted to leave the tent, that meant they were allowing her to freely meander, assess her situation, and formulate an escape plan.

The soldiers were, stupid, but not that stupid.

Luckily, or unluckily, Katara didn't have to make the decision. Surprising her, Zuko swept into the tent, his arms piled high with fresh tomes and scrolls. Not so many this time, and they looked much newer than his last collection.

"…_What_ are you doing?" Katara blurted, fed up with the mystery.

He gave her a one-sided smile and shook his head, "Just trying to decipher these messages that were intercepted." He ran his fingers through his loose hair and sighed, "We don't know exactly where we are, and these messages supposedly reveal a way to the pass between the two mountain ranges, but…" He let the word carry on the rigid air between them, as his finger curled in a beckon, bidding her to come sit beside him.

Warily, never looking away from his face, she crawled on all fours to his side and sat cross-legged alongside him. She let her eyes fall from his alabaster face to the captured message in front of them.

He continued in his husky, icy voice, "…As you can see, it's written in some kind of code."

Katara skimmed through it, understanding it perfectly. It was an ambush. It had been tentatively set up between the Fahn Lai Mountain Range and Mount Haiyu.

And it was all written in her father's handwriting.

"Can you read it?" Zuko pressed.

"…A few words" Katara lied, really pulling it off. She didn't need to pretend to look perplexed. There would be an enormous amount of troops gathered there. Waterbenders, Earthbenders mostly, and even a few rebel Firebenders.

"Can you read anything about a pass?" Zuko's voice was higher, as if hopeful. He really didn't want to be here.

"Ummm…" She felt like she was about to be taken under the breaker of a tsunami. "Well…it mentions the side of Mount Haiyu, opposite of the Fahn Lai Mountain Range."

"So…Between the Saia Ty Mountains and Mount Haiyu, then?" Zuko's voice was reaching a conclusion.

"…Can I see a map?" Katara's mind was racing, trying to remember the layout of the mountains. Zuko sifted through a few scrolls, and finally pulled one out. It was browned, and the edges were burnt. Graciously, she let her eyes soak up the map, quickly memorizing every name, every town, every river, and every forest. She drew a long, tanned finger over the mountains. The pass between the Saia Ty Mountains and Mount Haiyu was leagues away from the ambush.

Perfect.

"Yep, through here." She pointed confidently.

Zuko seemed to unwind, a deep, relived sigh escaping his lips. "Finally."

Katara saw what her clever father had done. He had trapped the Firebenders in a deep, wide valley with only one way to pass through, where they had set the ambush.

Katara hated to thwart her father, but not as much as she would have hated to see him dead.

Maybe this was how she was getting out of this. Acting as a message reader and guiding the Firebenders away from innocent people. By the tone of the message, Hakoda had badly underestimated the size of Zuko's army. She didn't want her father to be in danger if she could prevent it.

"So your sure about this?" His voice startled her from her relieved, overjoyed thoughts.

"I'm _positive_," The snap was back in her voice, "I was taught the codes for landmarks, but not much else." She promptly moved back to her corner of the tent, facing the canvas wall, her back turned on him.

She heard his fingers run through his hair again, "I don't know your name." So blunt.

"…It's Katara." She mumbled moodily.

"Katara...hmmm" without another word, he collected the scrolls and tomes, and left the tent.

'Weirdo' She thought venomously. Her eyes fell to the floor where the scrolls had been placed.

A scroll had rolled away from the pile.

She crawled over to it and ripped it open, as though it were good food. It was from Hakoda. Much of the ink was blotched from water stains, but some bits were still readable. '_Katara…missing…please…my daughter_…' She realized a lot from the little text that was left legible.

Her father knew that she was missing, and most likely dead. Weight pressed down on her chest, but she quickly shoved it away. Crying wouldn't get her through this one. She held the note over the reading candle Zuko had lit and let the paper blaze, and then dissolve into ashes.

--

"Katara, we're packing up." Zuko voice interrupted her turbulent dreams, shocking her from her nap. There had simply been nothing else to do. And the sound of her name in his voice was vexing.

Shouts sounded behind the canvas. Rhino's snorted, annoyed by the ruckus, and the sounds of crates and barrels being flung into caravans was nearly deafening.

Before she had time to stir, he was atop her, straddling her struggling body. He was trying to bind her wrists.

"Get _off_ me!"

"Hold still!"

In the aftermath of the little clash, Katara was pulled from the tent, defeated and incarcerated. Zuko prodded her to an impatient looking rhino.

Zuko climbed on first, securing himself toward the back of the saddle. He held his hand out, and, coming from nowhere, two soldiers picked up Katara and handed her off to Zuko.

She was seething as she was placed in front of Zuko. His skilled fingers worked the chain of the handcuffs into a lockable contraption in the horn of the saddle, discouraging her escape.

"I _hate_ you." She spat, her voice a vicious hiss.

"Once again, I don't care." He smirked handsomely, though Katara couldn't see it.

The stragglers quickly mounted the remaining Rhinos and began to thunder past Zuko, acting as forerunners.

Katara nearly laughed with joy when she saw they were angling away from the ambush. She had no idea if there was even a way through the mountains in the direction she was headed, but that wasn't her concern. She just had to use her wits and manipulate her way out of this.

--

Between the Fahn Lai Mountains and Mount Haiyu, Hakoda stared, perplexed, at the brightening horizon. Where was the Firenation Army? A gruff looking warrior came up beside his chief.

"Chief Hakoda? Do you see them yet?"

"…No…" He shrugged, "I guess they knew."

"But all of the intercepted messages were, thankfully, written in code. How would they have known?"

"Guess they just had a bad feeling." His voice was proud, a perfect example of a Water Tribe chief.

A boyish, teenage voice echoed the pride, "Yeah, I _bet_ they had a bad feeling! They can smell the doom!!" Sokka made a sound that sounded like a snake hissing and rattling at the same time and waved his hands, looking ridiculous.

Hakoda sighed and shook his head, covering his face, "Go pack your things, Sokka." He gestured to the ring of blue tents.

Sokka's shoulders slumped, "Hey, Dad?"

"Yes, Sokka?"

"…Have they found Kata-" he was cut off.

"_Go_ pack your things, Sokka."

No one dared to mention Katara unless it was good news.

--

**Ah, I love completeing another chapter. Such a great feeling! I love the feedback I'm getting. It makes me look forward to staying up until four in the morning, writing. Seriously guys, I love it, no joke. Review please, and next chapter will be up soon.**


	4. Glowing Mothbats

**Woo! Another chapter! I spent all of cooking class just mulling ideas around in my head. Ooh, and has anybody heard the rumors about the new series of Avatar they just put into production? It's not the live action movie, but some kind of…. spin off isn't the right word, but it's along those lines. Anyway, enjoy!**

**I do not own Avatar.**

--

The mountains never seemed to get any closer. They were seemingly a part of the horizon, a part of the sky, even.

Thankfully, Zuko had given Katara an old robe of his to wear. It was brown and unexciting, and she even had to wrap it around her torso twice for it to fit right, but the meager warmth was worth it. And it was designed for riding. It had slits all the way up the front and back, so she could comfortably spread her legs over the saddle. The sleeves opened up wide and trailed along the ground on the rare occasions that she was allowed to get off the rhino and walk.

Besides the robe, she had been given thick trousers, the same brown, which she tucked into soft, doeskin boots. Now all she wanted was her own rhino…

The only good thing about riding with Zuko was that he was like a furnace. His broad body seemed to produce heat like a fire, which kept Katara's back warm. But her front was exposed to the biting winds of the unforgiving tundra. He seemed to enjoy his place behind her. His legs shadowed hers, and his breath trailed down her neck, sometimes provoking a shudder down her spine.

No other person on this sick little expedition trembled from the cold besides her. They seemed to be fine with the deepening snow and the relentless hail. The weather had turned into a maelstrom of harsh winds and constant sleet, snow, and rain. Her lips turned blue at night, and her skin felt like ice, even the skin covered by the cloth.

And her expression relayed her thoughts perfectly. She wore a mixed expression. Flustered, miserable, irritated, and disgruntled all at once. But not a trace of sadness or worry, which endlessly perplexed Zuko.

"We'll be setting up camp soon." Zuko's voice broke the still air.

"Great." She mumbled, sarcasm dripping from her words, and Zuko loved why.

Nights were the worst part for Katara. In order to keep her from dying of cold, Zuko slept at her back, draping his arms over her and keeping her warm enough to survive the night.

It was the most spirit-dousing thing Katara had ever been forced to do. It wasn't physically painful, or even embarrassing. It was just…vexing.

"Well, you seem to be in a great mood today, Katara." She could hear the smirk on his voice.

"Stop using my name." She wasn't afraid to snap at him. Like an afterthought, she mumbled, "I shouldn't have even _told_ you."

She continued, craving a way to pass the time, which crawled by like it was wounded. "You said you didn't want to be here, right?"

"It's none of your business." He sounded very conclusive.

"Whatever. Why are you here if you don't want to be?"

"…To make a certain person happy."

She was thrilled he was finally bothering to tell her anything. "Who?"

"This is where you stop talking" Again, the feeling of a giant wave over her head washed over her, threatening to crush her. "…"

"Sorry"

"What?"

"I said sorry, now stop talking"

Suddenly, all the rhinos halted, all at once. Katara was jarred forward, the horn of the saddle chaffing uncomfortably against the inside of her legs. Zuko clearly heard her hiss of protest.

The flustered rhinos stomped impatiently, grunting and sweeping their heads back and forth. Something was bothering them.

Zuko called out to his forerunners, growing irate. "What is it? Why have we stopped?"

His burly forerunner called out over his shoulder. "I don't know… they just-"

His words were cut off permanently by an arrow now protruding from his throat.

Frantically, the soldiers burst into acting, raising their spears and beggining to scan for the attacker.

Katara's heart thudded in her chest. Had her father outsmarted her? Or had she read the code wrong?

"Stay here!" Zuko's husky voice reverberated in her ears. She watched him leap on to the back of another rhino, and then she realized he hadn't been talking to her, he was addressing the rhino.

"Wait! Don't leave me here!!" Katara shrieked, but he was already gone.

Violently, she rattled the chains around her flimsy wrists. They were locked securely in the horn. "Hey, wait!"

He was already stampeding off into the distance.

Fear overcame her. What if it was her father?

--

Time passed painfully slowly.

Desperately cold, her wrists rubbed raw, and the rhino long ago falling asleep, Katara waited, more miserable than she had ever been in her entire life.

Slowly, the men were returning, regrouping around the supplies they had dropped in their hurry. Some were covered in cuts, like those made by thin, sharp blades. Others had arrows projecting from various parts of their body.

And others didn't come back at all.

Nearly all of the rhinos had fallen in the encounter, and any that did return had been pelted with arrows and licked by flames.

When Zuko finally emerged over the snow-covered knoll he had disappeared over, Katara's heart skipped a beat. Wearily, he came up to the rhino, roughly prodding it with his foot. The thing snorted, irritated until it looked upon its master. The beast bent his knees and came to rest on his belly, allowing Zuko to begin unlocking Katara's chains.

She couldn't wait, "What happened? Who was it?"

It took him a while to respond. "Just rebel Firebenders."

Her heart fluttered happily. Not Water Tribe warriors. She praised whatever entity watched over her.

"You look like you were chewed by a sea serpent."

"And you look like a glacier" He retort was blunt.

She pursed her lips. "Do you want me to set up the tent?" She sounded reluctant.

"…What did you say?"

"You heard me." The Waterbender turned her head away. Her kindness always got the best of her.

"…Of course." A faint, smile crossed his mud-speckled face.

--

Seeming an eternity later, Katara had finally assembled the tent and splayed out the thick furs. Her hands were cut in several places, and the cold had gotten the best of her.

It felt like her lungs were filled with icicles. And the soggy boots really did nothing to help.

Zuko had been resting comfortably against the rhino, sharing each other's natural warmth.

Shakily, Katara crawled into the tent, dropping like a stone against the warm furs.

Katara was busy peeling away her sodden boots when Zuko followed her, taking his place behind her. She impatiently entertwined their feet, savoring the heat that flooded up her legs. And for once, and probably the only time, Katara was relieved he was there. And for the strangest reason.

She was happy that he had returned.

She had been terrified for, not only her father, but for Zuko. She didn't want to be left with the other men. Zuko was the only one that showed her any kindness. He didn't _need_ to keep her warm at night. He didn't _need_ to give her new clothes to wear. And he _especially_ didn't need to keep her alive.

As they drifted off to blissful slumber, Katara whispered "…Thanks Zuko."

"For what?"

"For coming back"

"…You're welcome, Katara."

And her name on his voice didn't vex her this time.

"But I still hate you" her tone was slightly playful. Very, _very_ slightly

"And I still don't care." The smile verbally wafted off of his words.

--

"Katara, wake up!"

Zuko's excited voice stirred her awake. The sun wasn't up yet, in fact, the horizon showed no sign of brightness at all.

"What?" She sounded pestered as she rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"Come outside, hurry!"

She followed his voice, and she was taken aback by shock.

Millions of tiny light filled the air, floating like snowflakes caught in a breeze.

"What are they?" The sleep had completely left her tone.

"They're glowing mothbats. They never come together in such huge groups like this."

Katara's mouth hung open. Mothbats. She had never heard of the creature before. They looked like tiny stars in the gentle wind, flickering a soft, bluish silver. It took Katara a while to notice that several of the soldiers had also come out of their tents to witness the spectacle, the same awe plastered on their faces.

All eyes watched as a stray mothbat floated down to Katara, landing like an ash in her outstretched hands. Its body was covered in a seemingly thick fur, but a touch revealed that it was as thin as mist.

"It's…so pretty" Her eyes reflected the tiny thing's glow. She couldn't even tell where the glow was coming from; its furry little body was just giving off a celestial glitter. And its canvas-like wings were dusted with silver powder, like diamond dust.

The little bug looked at her with black eyes and launched itself over the side off her hand, returning to the placid flurry of silvery wings and luminosity.

"Where are they going?" Katara took a step toward the moving clouds of mothbats. When no one stopped her, she continued to take tentative steps, pursuing the departing masses. They seemed to be going lower, gathering around something on the ground. Zuko was tailing her closely. Was he curious too?

A few strides took her to the large mass of the glowing little bugs. When she got too close, then parted like water, revealing their attraction.

Corpses.

The sound of millions of tiny mouths chewing human flesh reached realization in Katara's ears. They were eating the remains of the rebel Firebenders.

The men's eyes were glazed over, and their flesh was a hideous shade of gray. Their faces were twisted in varying expressions, ranging from agonized, to expressionless, as though had hadn't seen death coming.

All color leaked from her skin, and she felt bile rise in her throat. The smell of decaying flesh and congealed blood reached her nose. Horror-struck, she slapped her hands over her mouth and gagged from the stench.

Zuko's hands were suddenly on her shoulders, guiding her back to the camp.

When they got back to the tent, Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, facing Katara.

"Sorry. I didn't think that they did that."

She shrugged her petite shoulders, the nausea fading. "It's okay. They were still beautiful."

He chuckled lightly, "Yeah they were. Disgusting little things though."

"Eh, I've seen worse" She rolled over, facing away from Zuko.

Sensing whom she was talking about, Zuko prodded her. "Wait, what does that mean?"

_"Shh!" _was the only reply he got.

Giving up, he pressed himself against her back, and quickly fell into slumber. She was such a character. Nothing seemed to penetrate her outlook, and nothing seemed to dampen her spirit. Except the cold, of course.

Once again, Zuko found himself wishing that Firenation girls were like her.

--

**I'm disgusting. Did you guys think the part with the mothbats would end up all lovey dovey? Hell no! Well, tell me what you guys think about it. I'm loving the reviews. And I apologize for any stupid mistakes. I'm tired, and very cold. And guess what? I'm already writing out some ideas for lemon. I'm just waiting for a chance to begin a non-murderous relationship between them without making the story turn so sharply. That would be silly. Thanks again!**


	5. Blue Matriarch

**Hi guys!! It's so nice to come home after school and drink something really cold. I love it. Well this chapter was inspired by…I'm not telling, are you mad? That would spoil the whole chapter! Read and reply please. And Sausebender, I enjoy your wit.**

**I do not own Avatar.**

--

Finally.

They had at last reached the foothills of the Saia Ty Mountain Range. Mount Haiyu loomed over the diminished legion, casting its ominous shadow over the miles behind them. The Goshen River glimmered across the white expanse of low, white covered hills, twinkling farewell in the last rays of the setting red sun.

The prismatic silver snow was now above ankle deep, but it still did not bother the Firebenders. Katara had come to the sketchy conclusion that their bodies acted as natural furnaces, radiating an abundance of heat.

Dismissively, Katara felt Zuko's chest leaning into her back. He had been sleeping against her for hours now. Normally, she would have found a cruel way to wake him up, like spooking the rhino, jabbing her elbow into his ribs, or 'accidentally' slamming the back of her head into his face. Either this amused him, or he was just a big pushover, because Zuko never took aggressive action against her. Which was why Katara felt that Zuko was entitled to this one nap.

After all, he had given her new robes to wear. They were the same style as the ugly brown ones, designed for riding with the slits up to her waist, but this new robe was much more appealing. It was a pale, faint lavender, with bright white wave designs along the edges. Atop of that, he had also given her thick-soled boots, seeing as how she was allowed to walk around more often.

Overall she had been pleased, though she had refused to show it.

Zuko's replacement forerunner had been out for hours, scouting out something that Katara knew wasn't there at all. She knew she would eventually have to deal with this problem. She had lied completely about there being a pass in this region in order to divert the Fire Nation Army to save her father.

She had been holding a solid conversation with Zuko while the forerunner was out, hoping to get him comfortable enough for whatever was going to happen.

"What's the South Pole like?"

Katara had answered this questioned millions of time, it seemed like. "It's just ice and snow."

Zuko stared, blankly. "That's _it_? No towns of ports? Just…ice and snow."

"Yep, and houses made out of ice and snow."

"That's ridiculous." He turned back to his tea and his maps.

The light of the full moon was streaming through the trees when the sound of a rhino's gallop was heard. It was the returning forerunner.

A mere few minutes later, the rough looking forerunner let himself into Zuko's tent, his business urgent enough to allow him to do something so disrespectful.

"Prince Zuko, I've scoured every crevice of this forest and it just leads to sheer cliffs. A pass does not exist through here." His voice was conflicted, but absolutely positive.

Zuko looked, dead on, at Katara, smelling the rat instantly. "Perhaps you would like to read the message over again, Katara? And this time, you do it correctly." All friendliness in his voice was dead, along with the hopes of her getting out of this unscratched.

"Maybe you shouldn't put your faith in someone you're keeping prisoner!" Katara matched his voice, but triggered a violent response.

The prince's searing gold eyes blazed against her Katara's glacial azure ones. She returned his looked venomously.

Suddenly, the candles around the tent combusted into columns, licking the canvas maliciously. In the same motion, Zuko lunged forward, shockingly fast and grabbed hold of Katara's bottom jaw. He yanked her face forward, his angry breath dancing across her lips. The heat of his enraged body was so intense, she felt like her skin would begin to peel away.

Instinctively, she latched her fingers around Zuko's wrists, trying to wrench herself from his grasp. Her urgent whimpers pleased him, but not enough to bring a smile to his face.

"_What. Have. You. Done_." Every word promised death, and this time, she wouldn't be able to put herself back together.

She knew Zuko wouldn't allow her to reach out for the snow on the ground, and he definitely wouldn't let up his hold. There was no water to reach for. Nothing close enough to control with out it looking like a threat. Nothing Zuko would allow. He seemed to sap all the courage from her body, burned away her strength, and replaced her fortitude with apprehension. Her eyes darted back and forth, looking for some sort of canteen or something else with water in it.

Blinded by the moment, she reached for the only water she could feel.

Zuko's blood.

Instantly, his breath hitched. Wracks of horror coursed through Katara's body once she realized what she was doing, but she didn't release her hold over Zuko. His hand snapped back to his side, fingers curling and snapping against their will.

There was no going back now. Katara had found a way to fight back, and she would use it to its full potential.

Terrified, the forerunner bolted from the tent, raising an alarm. The shuffle and clatter of armored boots and brandished spears created a symphony under the silent, watching moon.

As the men assembled, they witness Zuko being thrown from the tent, twitching and swaying like a puppet. He was putting up a furious fight against his own body. Katara soon followed his captured body out of the tent.

When the silver rays of the full moon glimmered across her skin, she felt her control over Zuko sharpen, become more refined.

And powerful.

At a frantic pace, the soldiers had assembled themselves, scrambling to save their captured prince.

And what a sight Zuko was. He was dressed only in his under robes, the imprints of his armor were still fresh. His raven black hair fluttered around his face, unbound, free from Katara's bloody control. The captive prince looked like a rag doll, controlled by invisible hands. His alabaster face was locked in surprise, looking quite out of place for Zuko.

Gathering quickly, the soldiers enclosed her in a ring of spears.

"Surrender yourself, witch!" The men's wavering voices did not reach Katara thrumming ears. The power that coursed through her body blocked out everything but her target.

Zuko.

A few clouds lifted from her murky mind, and she recovered the sense to defend herself. Briefly, she released Zuko, throwing him to the ground. She threw her hands over her head, closing her slender fingers into fists. She then threw her arms back down to the ground, her opened palms parallel to the ground. This motion pulled the snow down from the tops of the trees.

Not pausing for a instant, the dominant Waterbender sent her body through a series of lightning fast spins.

The first spin lifted the downed snow off the ground. The second liquefied the snow into water. The third sent the water into motion, circling around her and Zuko. And the fourth spin sharpened the water into a circular razor of ice.

She performed the move before Zuko could even rise.

"Stand down!" The men grew bold, grazing the spinning ice with their spears, resulting in broken shafts.

Not moving quite fast enough, Zuko was brought under Katara's control again.

"Nngh…" His locked jaw seemed to try to form words, and his luminous topaz eyes tried to focus on her grim face.

"Never trust a prisoner, _Prince_ Zuko." The words were meant only for his ears.

Zuko couldn't respond. He could only catch fuzzy glimpses of her strained, wicked smirk. The pale lavender robes he gave her flowed around her body, streaming in the wind whipped up by the rapidly circulating ice.

Flowing like a river's current, Katara pulled her hands directly into her center and snapped her legs back together. The ring of ice responded by slowing down and closing in around Katara and Zuko.

Predictably, the soldiers closed in, stupidly thinking that Katara was weakened.

What fools.

One last time, Katara flung her hands out from her body, releasing the fist and splaying her fingers out wide.

Not only did the ring expand again, but as her fists came undone, the ring shattered breaking into razor sharp fragments of ice. They launched out, faster than the eye could see, and embedded themselves deep into the armor of the helpless men. A few shards pierced threw several men's faces and throats, others were lucky enough to catch the fragment in their armor. More than half of the men fell to the frosted ground, not likely to rise again.

And before the living ones could even recover their wits, Katara was gone, sprinting through the moonlit forest.

--

"Are you sure about this Prince Zuko?"

"Positive"

"What is she kills you, and we don't find out?"

"She can only do that under a full moon. Under the sun, I surpass her."

"Where should the rest of us go?"

"Find a way through these mountains. At the next outpost, send a message hawk to my father."

"What should the message say, my lord?"

"Tell my father I'm going to be late to Omashu."

"Yes, my prince." Private Mong's voice was full of respect and reverence.

As the young private dismissed himself to relay the message, Zuko stuffed the last of his supplies into his pack.

He had replaced his usual armored plates with tight fitting, stealthy black gear made from soft leather and belted in several places. He also donned a thick, black traveling cloak complete with hood and several inner pockets, full of concealed knives and poisoned blow darts.

On top of his new attire, he had packed a messenger style bag full of dried rations, canteens of water, and a small fortune of gold pieces. As Zuko slung his bag over his shoulder, Private Mong approached him again.

"Are you sure you don't want the rhino?" His voice bore a kind of brotherly concern.

"She ran into the forest" His voice was snappy, reminding him of his target, "A rhino won't help me here."

The Private sighed, giving up on talking Zuko out of it, "Please, travel safely, Prince Zuko."

Zuko smirked handsomely, "_I'm_ not the one you should worry about, private"

At that, Private Mong saluted his prince, and watched as he disappeared into the thick forest, following Katara's invisible trail.

--

**See? If I told you Waterbending inspired me, then you all would have know what this chapter would be about. Well, my back hurts. Sorry about any stupid little errors, I really didn't correct a lot of this. I'll be posting really soon!**


	6. Put into Play

**Bleh, schools sucks. Thank goodness this is my last year. By the way does anyone else have a Gaia account? My name is Sho-Anilucard, and I heart friend requests! Enjoy!**

**I do not own Avatar. If I did, Zutara would be very, very real.**

--

The cold was nearly unbearable.

She shouldn't have run. Katara could have found a way out of all this. She could have just submitted to Zuko. Acted like the perfect prisoner, obedient, submissive, and terrified.

But that was even more unbearable than the blistering cold.

She had been sprinting for hours, and the forest got thicker. There was no particular path through the shadowy forest, and she had no idea where she was.

Her hopes lay in finding a village before the winter overcame her. Or maybe someone would find her.

She hoped not. She knew Zuko would be hot on her trail. But, using her frightened wits, Katara had started bending away her footstep whenever she crossed snow. Hopefully it would throw him off long enough to put her in the clear.

Brilliant morning light trickled through the bare limbs of the towering trees. As the sun hit her skin, she felt her Waterbending recede, becoming much more dormant. This brought her mind to what she had done to Zuko.

In her panic, she had actually control his blood. Chills ran down her spine as she remembered the blurry moment. The power she had felt was immense, but it was also sickening. Katara knew she would never do it again.

So she kept running, knowing that a powerful, and more so, pissed off, adversary was just dying to see her blood spilt.

She propelled herself even faster, the biting air whistling through her loose, wild hair.

--

The morning touched his skin, painting his alabaster skin a radiant gold. But the expression on his face was definitely not radiant.

It was wicked. It was lustful. It was deadly.

Finally. He had found someone worth chasing. And this opponent knew how to hurt people. This thrilled Zuko.

But her sick power had something to do with the moon. If she could do it at will, then she would have escaped a long time ago, and Zuko might not be chasing her.

Unfortunately for Katara, she intrigued him. She was worth hunting, and Zuko knew that she would be helpless when they fought again. He imagined her brought to her knees before him, pleading for her life. His strides accelerated at the thought of it.

He snickered, the trees being his only audience. Clenching his fists, he relished the new sunlight, feeling it empower him, giving him the deadly edge he would need to make his fantasy a reality.

When he found her, she would beg for mercy that he was not capable of.

--

"You can't _possibly_ say that! Would you really put yourselves that low?!" Private Mong flailed his hands, baffled.

"We all know your loyalty to the prince, Mong" The man said the words with a sneer.

"They won't believe your story, I will speak out against you! Prince Zuko did _not_ run off with the Waterbender, and you know that!"

"He got half of us killed because of his stupidity. He led us into this god forsaken gulch purely by accident, and let the enemy live among us!" His voice was booming.

"He is _not_ at fault!"

"We are prepared to deal with you, Mong." At the man's words, a hidden soldier rose behind Mong, a knife winking in his hands. Mong didn't even see it coming. With a sickening, slicing sound, the assassin cut a deep, wide smile into Mong's throat, ending his protests.

Blood speckled the new leader's face, which he promptly wiped away.

As Mong's lifeless body hit the frosted ground, the new leader, addressed the men that were still alive. "We tell them that Zuko betrayed us. He met up with a Waterbender and killed several of us. He is a traitor." He spoke bluntly.

The soldiers nodded eagerly, more than a few of them smiling maliciously.

"Then let's move on." He gave his own malevolent smile, and led his troops down to the outpost. For the first time in months, the men cheered.

And Mong's body, already cold, was now just a distant, happy memory to them.

--

"Chief Hakoda, look there!" The silence of Hakoda's head scout broke the morning silence

"Yes. I see them" Hakoda stroked his chin, thinking.

The Water tribe warriors had sighted the small group of Firenation soldiers in the distance.

"Do we go after them?"

"…No. They're way too close to the outpost. If we attack them, more soldiers will come out and back them up."

"Well, when do we attack?"

"At night. They're bending will be at its weakest and we'll have the advantage of surprise."

The sound of rustling brush stirred behind them. Sokka emerged, twigs sticking out of his loose hair. "What is it?"

Hakoda pointed, "Look"

Sokka approached the ledge his father stood on, the scout moving aside for him, "Firenation?"

"Yep."

"…Do you think…Katara is there?"

Hakoda sighed, "We'll find out tonight"

--

She felt like she was being followed. But that was a stupid assumption; of course she was being followed.

But he was gaining so quickly. If only she could throw him off permanently, maybe she could find her father without bringing unwanted company.

The mountain was growing steeper, actually turning into sheer cliffs at some points. Her heart was thrumming in her chest, begging her to stop. Luckily, all the running had made her comfortably warm. But she would have to stop eventually, and if Zuko didn't catch up, the cold would.

When the image of Zuko's face came to her mind, Katara just kept running, but faster.

--

"Where is the rest of your troop?! Isn't Prince Zuko supposed to be with you?" The man in charge of admitting people into the outpost was stunned.

"Actually, Hagen, we have some bad news…"

"By Sozen! Has the prince been _killed_?!" Hagen's face turned white.

"No, worse. He has defected from us and declared himself an ally of the Water tribe."

Silence. Hagen's white face flushed with anger. "I'll inform Admiral Zhao immediately."

"Firelord Ozai must know also. Send a message hawk to the palace."

With a hurried salute, Hagen dashed off.

--

Katara legs had finally given out. She could already feel the cold creeping up her arms. Cursing herself, she crawled into a bush, trying to break as little branches as possible. He would be passing any minute now.

She tried to slow her heavy panting. It was a dead giveaway.

Like an injured animal, Katara curled into a tight ball beneath the boughs of the low bush. There was no snow on this side of the mountain, which was very strange. She had guessed it had something to do with the way the sun faced when it rose every morning.

Warmth slowly returning, Katara contemplated her situation. Her father was very close, but she had no idea where they would have moved after the failed ambush. Would they still be there? But where was there? Katara had no idea where she was, even though she had spent hours memorizing the maps Zuko had shown her.

She didn't even have food with her…

She cursed herself again, and fell into blissful slumber under the thick bush.

--

**Sorry about how short it is. I've been kinda pressed for time lately. I'll be on the next chapter..umm… probably today. Definitly by tomorrow Thanks guys!**


	7. Mothbats?

**Yeah, that's right. Mothbats. They seemed so popular, I just had to bring them into the story again! Isn't it exciting? Everyone getting closer and closer? Ooh, the tension!**

**I do not own Avatar**.

--

It was almost night.

Zuko had passed Katara the first time, and for that, she had been able to live just a little bit longer.

But he would eventually realize his mistake, and place himself on her trail once again.

Why was he such a good tracker?! She was trying everything in her power to cover her tracks! No upturned leaves or soil, no footsteps where there was snow or mud, and she had even crossed several creeks and rifts. He was still hounding her, and flawlessly, at that.

Was she really being that easy of a target?! On top of the foe, there was her angry stomach. No food all day. There was plenty of water, but nothing edible. She would have to find something eventually…

Several hours passed before the sun finally connected with the horizon. Crimson bled into the brilliant white of the clouds, lighting them up with an almost malevolent radiance.

But something else decided to amaze her.

Mothbats. Millions of them flitting in and out of the boughs of the tress. As the sky darkened, the little carnivores grew brighter, basking in the twilight. Katara couldn't help but stop and watch them.

They didn't seem to be drifting in clouds like last time. They seemed to be hunting, moving faster than her eye could track them sometimes. But their beauty had not diminished. Just like her first encounter, one drifted towards her, but this time Katara did not put out her hands.

The little insect seemed disgruntled, and it returned to the branches, disappearing among the masses of luminous silver light.

Katara couldn't make herself run again. Now that she had stopped, she felt the fatigue catch up with her, caving her legs and forcing her to sit among the frosty leaves.

Flashes of her family ran through her mind. Her father. Her brother. But mostly, her mother. The mothbats seemed to absorb the sadness of the memory, letting her remember her without the gloomy feelings. In fact, nothing seemed sad to her right now. The mothbats seemed to take away the burden of feelings, and replaced them with the passing of time.

But they were still disgusting creatures.

--

She was close. The tracks had led him in a wide circle, reconnecting with a small clearing.

Zuko leaped over a stream, and landed in a somersault upon the soft banks. By the time he whipped himself back up to a standing position, his twin swords were out, gleaming in the last rays of the sun.

Slowly, he approached the clearing, making as little noise as possible.

Then something bumped into his face. A mothbat.

He waved away the finicky creature as it flapped its dusty wings, irritably. Then Zuko saw more of them. As he proceeded, they grew thicker. Were there dead bodies here too?

His swords dipped at his sides as his thoughts drifted away on the wings of the mothbats.

--

"Where are you going, you repulsive little things?" Katara spoke to the silent clouds of mothbats as they were suddenly attracted to something through the forest.

Forcing her body to rise, she chased after them, determined to know where they were going.

She flitted through the trees, her wild hair streaming behind her. The mothbats had led her to a small clearing. Taking a look around, she realized it wasn't a clearing at all. It was a well worn path, lined by snow banks, and it had been traveled very recently.

Cautious now, she hesitantly followed the insects. Once again, she found that they had gathered into a huge mound, smothering something beneath their masses.

At her approach, they drifted apart, avoiding her, and revealing what they were eating this time.

Another body.

She took another step closer, and more of the bugs flew away. The color faded from her face, and she was once again overcome by horror. She knew who this was.

This was Private Mong, the only other person besides Zuko that had shown her kindness during her captivity. What was he doing here? Should she check if he was alive? He was face down, and he didn't seem to be moving, or even breathing.

Before she could act on anything, she was startled by a gasp.

Peering across the thinning tufts of mothbats, she saw a face. A very familiar face.

Topaz met cerulean simultaneously.

Each thought the other was an illusion, created from the shimmering dust of the mothbats.

"…Zuko?"

A jet of fire answered her question. The blaze consumed several mothbats, burning them to dust in midair.

Luckily, Katara reacted quick enough to dive to the side. Her arms swept in an upward motion, lifting the dirty snow bank off the side off the path and putting in into motion, forming eight writhing tentacles.

Jets of fire turned to steam against Katara's watery defense. But she was running out of water, and soon she would have nothing to defend herself.

His attacks were relentless. Blast after blast, he was slowly chipping away her shields, getting closer to her vulnerability.

"Why did you chase me?!" She shrieked, her words angry and frightened.

Malevolently, Zuko's eyes gleamed like they had a sort of intelligence about them. His reply came in the form of more flames. And this time, they touched her skin.

She yelled out in pain and reinforced her shields. They no longer resembled tentacles; more like flailing arms trying to fend off the angry prince.

Hot red scorch marks were curled around her hands, and her sleeves had been reduced to ashes.

Losing her concentration, she accidentally lost control of the water, letting it seep back into the dirt. Katara stumbled backwards, the force off the last fireball knocking her off of her feet. No there was no water between her and Zuko.

He approached, fists posed to conjure more flames.

Then, the last beams off sunlight trickled behind the mountains, and the stars showed their brilliance. Silver light filtered its way through the tree branches and reached Katara's honey brown skin.

Her body instinctively curling up, Katara clutched he hands, gasping at the confusing pain. Zuko was inches away from her. She could hear his heavy breathing. 'At least I was difficult to take down', she mused to herself, despite the impending death before her.

With difficulty, Katara looked up into Zuko's eyes, wondering why he hadn't stricken her yet.

"What's wrong? You can't do it?" She jeered at him, and continued to gasp.

--

How could he kill her? There was no one that had ever intrigued him more than this girl. This irritating, deadly, obnoxiously insidious peasant. She was hideous and beautiful at the same time. Dangerous and sheltering. Zuko couldn't tell if her worshipped her or loathed her.

"Get up" He finally stated, ice in his voice.

"No" Her voice cracked with pain.

A growl reverberated in his chest.

"Why don't you just kill me? That's what you always wanted to do." She lifted her head up once again, her blazing sapphire eyes like ice cold flames.

"I'm not going to kill you" His voice was strangely soft in a foreboding way.

She rocked on her feet, curled up tightly, shutting him out. "Then get the hell out of here!"

"You're coming with me" He reached for the robe tied at his waist.

Before he could think of what was going on, war cries rang out from the bushes lining the trail, and blue forms lashed at him with unparalleled speed.

Instantly, the stricken prince threw up his blades, sending them into dizzying spins around his body, chopping off several prodding spears.

Defending himself against the immediate threat, Zuko was unaware of something whistling through the air. A blunt boomerang struck him in the back of the head, scrambling his vision and downing him to his knees.

Voices rang out everywhere, but he couldn't tell where they were coming from.

"Kill him!" he heard the faint sound of footsteps approaching.

The rational part of Zuko's mind screamed to him, 'Get up you coward! Don't let them kill you! Move!!'

As he drifted off into unconsciousness, he heard a few last, fleeting words.

"Don't kill…saved…tie him…"

Shouts broke up the sentences, but the voice was the only thing that mattered.

Katara…

--

Limply, his body fell into her arms. She ignore the seering pain in her hands.

"What is the meaning of this?! Why do you protect _him_?"

"Just let him go." Katara's voice was empty, "He's not worth saving, and he's not worth killing. We're just going to leave." She gently laid his head down amongst the frosty leaves.

"Katara, with all due respect-"

"I want to see my father."

"…Of course, Katara…"

Being the last one to leave the clearing, Katara looked over her shoulder, catching a final glimpse of Zuko.

She at least owed him this much. A chance to run.

--

**Gah! Another short chapter! Sorry guys! I really hoped you enjoyed this one. And review please! I had to think this one out particularly. I have to keep things going. And sorry of there are any errors, I didn't look this one through very well.**


	8. The Hunters

**Well, I hope I'm able to type events clearly in this chapter, because a lot is going to happen. It seems all broken up right now, yes? Like, 'Where can the story possibly go now?' Well, I hope not, because that is not what I'm aiming for! I read over every chapter, mulled ideas around in cooking class again, and, poof, here it is!**

**I do not own Avatar.**

**--**

When Katara had entered the campsite the previous night, she had been welcomed with relieved smiles, hugged by every warrior, and tackled by her brother, Sokka.

He had rambled on about how many Firenation soldiers he had taken down, elaborating on the details of their travels, and warned her not to eat green seal jerky.

"Gee, how did that go over for you?" She had teased him.

"Well, you could say it took its sweet time." Sokka had rolled his eyes and promptly changed the subject.

And Hakoda never left her side. Her father, who she hadn't seen in a long time, her father who had told her that her Waterbending wasn't a curse, it was a gift. He was the one that encouraged her to be a Waterbending master. He was the reason Katara had been able to survive in the midst of the enemy and alone in a bitter, arctic tundra.

"Your hands…" His fatherly eyes welled up with tears, ashamed that he had not been there to protect his daughter.

She had given him a perfect smile "I have something to show you, dad."

She had given the curious warriors a demonstration of her newfound healing powers, stunning all of them.

After a hardy meal, stories and laughter, Hakoda had smiled upon his daughter, putting a proud arm around her shoulder.

"Your mother would be so proud of you." He put his other arm around Sokka, who was at his other side, "She would be proud of both of you. If only she were here…"

His sentence trailed off as he remembered where 'here' was.

Katara gave a worried look "Dad?"

Sokka looked up from his bowl of steaming soup, "What's wrong, dad?"

Hakoda had sighed heavily, "We're still at war, and we need to make plans to get out of here."

Katara's eyes sparkled eloquently, "This forest is crawling with squadrons of Firenation. The only way to go is away from here."

Hakoda was shaking his head before she even finished her sentence, "They have us surrounded. Luckily, they don't even know it." He gave his proud smile.

Sokka, busy scooping up more soup, grinned widely, "Yeah, but when we run into one, their gonna have it tough! Who could be man enough to defeat the Southern Water Tribe?" Nearby warriors took up a cheer, clapping Sokka on the back.

Sokka dove back into his stories, telling Katara about the tribe's own experience with the mothbats, about how the little pests had raided their bags in the middle of the night and feasted on all of their meat.

On the outside, Katara looked attentive, but her mind was plagued by thoughts.

Was Zuko okay? Why did she care? Should she go back? Or would he just try to kill her again? But, when it came right down to it, he hadn't killed her. She was brought to her knees, as vulnerable as an infant, burnt and injured, but he didn't deliver a killing blow.

Did that mean he had come to his senses?

Or did he just want to savor the kill?

She gradually shook off the pestering thoughts, and began telling Sokka about her travels, alone and captive.

--

Zhao, tall and menacing, loomed over poor Hagen.

"You're telling me that Prince Zuko, heir to the throne of the Firenation, and son of Firelord Ozai, has committed treason and joined the _Water Tribe_?" He spoke slowly and precisely.

Hagen stupidly bobbed his head, terrified, "Y-yes, Admiral Zhao."

He rose from the small table, "Deploy our elite troops. Tell them to kill the traitor on site."

Smiling widely, Zhao watched Hagen nod eagerly and scurry away.

Alone in the room, he chuckled to himself, "This is just the chance I needed."

Fantasies ran through his head.

He sank down into his bed that night, whispering 'General Zhao…"

--

Stupid!

She was right there, completely defenseless, and he couldn't do it! He had never felt regret for killing, so why was this any different?! She was just a stupid peasant hailing from snow banks and rank fish!

Zuko paced vigorously in his clearing, pinching the bridge of his nose.

He hissed the word 'stupid' over and over again.

Thoughts of her ran through his mind. Memories of her, her displeasure whenever she was forced on to the rhino, her blissful expression whenever she had entwined their feet together, and the way her hair had brushed against him when he was sleeping at her back. But the memory that stood out the most was their conversation about her home, the South Pole.

_"What's the South Pole like?"  
"It's just ice and snow."  
"That's it? No towns of ports? Just…ice and snow?"  
"Yep, and houses made out of ice and snow."  
"…That's ridiculous."_

He sighed heavily. He didn't want to think about her anymore.

He had been looking for any sign of his men. Any other thoughts he had that weren't based on Katara were thoughts of Private Mong.

Zuko was baffled when he awoke several hours later in a daze, the boomerang leaving a pounding knot on his head.

Sympathetically, he had turned over the stiff, cold body of the young private, only to be horror-struck. Mong's throat had been cut open wide into a grotesque smile, his head only connected by his spine.

Had Mong been a traitor? Or maybe it was a cornered assassin making a last stand?

He brushed away the idea. It was probably nothing. He had burned Mong's body, giving him the respect of a proper funeral.

Gradually, his mind returned to Katara. Realizing this, he threw his fist into a small bush, igniting it and turning into a pile of ashes in seconds.

He could think of no other reason.

He had enjoyed her company. Not enjoyed, but savored. Not savored, but needed.

He sat heavily on the ground, his legs out in front of him, his knees bent.

Seething, Zuko stared at the frosted ground, willing his mind to empty itself.

He curled his legs into a criss-crossed position, and eventually began to meditate.

She had been an enemy, a hostage, and briefly, a friend.

But Zuko had only seen her as an object of his desires.

He liked her, and that infuriated him.

--

They moved like shadows.

Flitting in and out of the trees, seeming to move between two planes of existence, the hunters tracked down their quarry with deadly preciseness.

They were the wardens of the outposts, the very best of Firenation genetics, taken at birth and formed into weapons.

They did not require words. Instead they communicated to each other using intricate hand signals, relaying their findings to each other.

Several of these hunters were women, and all of them were clothed in tight fitting leather as black as night. They all had long meticulously kept hair, even the men, and their faces were hidden behind cryptic masks that resembled dying men.

The hunters had a duty, and they would die before they failed.

'Should we split up?' A tall, lean male signaled to a small, longhaired woman. She was obviously the leader of the small group, her distinctive, grotesque raven-themed mask singling her out from the rest of the group.

'That would be best.' She pointed to five hunters, half of her group. 'You five find the tribe' She motioned to the last four, 'You come with me. We will arrest the prince.'

They separated like water, and began to seep into the night-veiled forest.

--

He didn't want to, but it looked like Zuko would need to return to the outpost.

He had gotten back on the trail several hours ago, the Saia Ty Mountains far behind him. By morning, he had come to a crossroads, where an elderly man sat behind a small counter, displaying his wares. Other than the man, there was no one currently here.

A post of wood with a lit torch on top was staked exactly in the middle of the four diverging paths. The post loomed over Zuko as he approached it.

Flyers and wanted posters plastered the wood.

Sauntering up to the man, Zuko crossed his arms over his chest, trying to look daunting.

"Did a troop of men recently pass through here?"

When the man looked up, the color drained from his face. He pointed at Zuko, his hand trembling. "P-p-p-p Prince…Z-z-z-z Zu…k-ko." His voice was rasping and bewildered.

"Yes, I'm Prince Zuko, now tell me-"

"Traitor!!" It's the traitor!!" Like a scared deer, the man bolted down the path towards the outpost, screaming traitor.

Zuko was left in his dust, jaw hanging open. "…Traitor?"

Dazed, Zuko numbly walked back to the post of wanted signs.

All of the flyers bore his image.

--

She had missed the taste of good food.

With a wide grin on her face, Katara slurped up the soft noodles, savoring the rich flavor.

She had a tent all to herself, and she didn't need Zuko to keep her warm because she had been covered in thick, cured pelts of arctic foxbear furs.

The warriors were gracious to her, providing her with everything, even if she didn't need it.

She had been given a fine silver hunting knife, new blue robes cuffed with thick fur, a matching silk ribbon to tie her hair back, and a personal supply of dried meats, given to her by Sokka.

But Hakoda's gift was the best of all. He had brought his wife's necklace, the only thing Kaya had left for them, besides Katara's life.

Katara had tears in her eyes when she tied it around her neck, the bluish-purple charm resting comfortably in the hollow of her throat.

"Thanks dad" She embraced him, burying her tear streamed face in his thick parka.

"Your mother wouldn't have it any other way, Katara."

Sokka peered out from behind the tree, "Dad?"

Looking up, Hakoda smiled at Sokka, "What is it, Sokka?"

"It's been three hours since our scouts left. They haven't come back yet"

Worry lines creased Hakoda's face, "It seems our happiness is short lived."

Katara's heart broke at her father's downcast expression. "It doesn't have to be. We can run. We can go back home."

Again, Hakoda shook his head, "We can't do that. We have the responsibility of invading the outpost. We have never gone home defeated, and we will not start today." The pride rimmed his voice.

That brought a stressed smile to Katara's face.

"That's right, Katara! There are still Firebender heads to knock!" Sokka clapped his sister on the shoulder, knocking the wind out of her. She retaliated by elbowing him in his ribs.

"Stop it, you two." Hakoda's smiled drifted on his voice. The his expression went serious, "Let's get ready for a full force attack on that pathetic little thing they call an 'outpost'

The family smiled widely, and embraced.

They knew it wouldn't be last time, as long as the three were together.

--

Run. That's all, just _run_.

Zuko bounded down the trail, away from the crossroads, back into the forest.

He was no traitor! His mind raced, but nothing made sense. He had been betrayed, but how?! Then the thought struck him.

That's why Mong was dead. His own men, the troops he had called brothers for nearly half a year had stabbed him in the back. Mong had been the only loyal one, making him their only problem.

Pity coursed through him, followed by confusion, then burning anger.

He had nowhere to go. But he did have someone to turn to.

He just hoped she wasn't bitter about the whole trying-to-kill-her-thing.

--

**Ah, I feel proud over this one. I love describing Hakoda, he's just as awesome dad. And Sokka is also fun to bring in. Do I copy his humor well? I know there isn't a lot of humor so far, but it's Sokka-ish right? Well, review and I'll be on the next chapter soon.**


	9. With Me, Not Against Me

**Ah! The more I read over my chapters, the more stuff I notice that I left out! Ugh, I have writing problems. This chapter has taken so long because I'm following Thawn's advise. He's totally right about what he said in his review. Alright, so here you go. Tell me how it goes.**

**I do not own Avatar.**

--

The days seemed so long, filled with constant preparation, endless stories, and Sokka's unneeded strings of comments. He bugged her about everything she was doing wrong, always hovering over her shoulder and correcting her whenever she tied a knot wrong, or put certain food in a wrong bag, or even strapping her new knife wrong on her belt.

"If you don't put in through the loop right, it'll just stab you in the thigh whenever you stoop over. And also, seal jerky has to be kept-"

"Sokka!" Her hands were balled into fists, the small hard fruit in her hand had morphed into a ball of jagged icicles in reaction to her annoyance. "I've got all this! I'm not a little girl anymore!"

His was surprised at first, then dejected. His sea blue eyes fell to the ground. "I know sis, I'm just lookin' out for ya'"

"Well, stop it!" throwing the ruined fruit to the ground, she stomped away and joined the rest of the warriors when everything was together. Sokka kicked the ground, moping. He could tell when something was bothering his sister. In fact, anyone could. You didn't have to know Katara to know when she was pissed.

--

A few hours later, they had their company moving to the fringes of the meadow the outpost resided in. Katara's mind hadn't stopped racing since her last confrontation with Zuko. Even when she slept, his memory plagued her dreams.

But that's all he was now, right? A memory?

The thing that pained her the most besides Zuko's burning memory was the downcast mood of her father. She couldn't think of anything to say to him to comfort him, and the appearance of Kaya's necklace had only seemed to deepen his sadness.

"Hey, dad?" At the mention of his title, Hakoda looked down into his daughter's eyes "How did you know where I was?"

His eyes sparkled with happiness at Katara's voice "Well, we were out patrolling and looking for a place to set up camp, when we heard a scream from somewhere in the forest." His eyes darted to her scar-free hands, eyes glinting merrily, but remorsefully. "We didn't even stop to see you the fight was between. All we needed to see was the fire, and our minds were made up. My turn." His voice turned hard.

Katara looked worried, "What is it?"

"Why did you protect the Firebender?" He caught her in a net.

She sighed heavily, and told the complete, genuine story of her captivity. She elaborated on the kindness Zuko had shown her, how he had protected her from the vengeance of his men, and kept the cold from harming her.

Hakoda was deep in thought, "Why was he attacking you, then?"

She smirked and giggled, "I…sorta busted my way out. And I took out more than a few of his soldiers out along the way."

He patted her lovingly on the back, "That's my girl."

She smiled, her eyes dazzled with happiness.

The happiness was chased away when she remembered how quickly this could all end.

--

Like empty shadows, the hunters moved away from their fresh kills. The mutilated Water Tribe scouts hung by their necks, dangling from the branches of the tall pines. Their eyes had been slit out, a distinct sign that every Firenation citizen, poor or noble, knew.

Hunters were about.

The short female scoffed at the grisly remains. 'They must be close.' She flashed to the same male as before. He replied curtly, 'No kidding'

His attitude came form the fact that he was the only one who had received a scratch in the fray. To the hunters, wounds were disgraceful.

A bouncy girl with cascading black curls giggled, her laugh sounding like a breeze rather than a voice, 'Don't be so serious, Haiat. It was your own fault."

The man named Haiat glared daggers through his mask. But the leader stopped them before they could ignite. 'Enough of this foolishness, we're leaving'

They flitted through the branches without another silent word, and were gone instantly.

--

Zuko had been tracking the tribe by following their fire pits. They always left very clear trails to follow. Being a large group, it was hard for them to not leave any trace of their passing.

He had been loathsomely pondering his predicament.

By now, the entire Firenation thought he was a traitor, thought he was in some god forsaken den somewhere, plotting with a bunch of nomadic freaks and a temperamental Waterbender.

Because that made so much sense.

He would never be able to clear his name if he perished out here. He could never go back to the warm, welcoming halls of the Firenation Palace, with it's goliath hanging lanterns, velvet beds, and the best food in the world.

Zuko's stomach roared in protest to the thought.

He growled, swallowing his pathetic wishes. He really did think like a prince.

Then, finally.

His heart skipped a beat when he came within range of voices. They were low, but Zuko could tell they were prideful and jubilant.

They were Water Tribe, alright. No Water Tribe Warrior was without pride, and some even had too much of it. He had killed several, and knew this for sure.

But he would keep that little detail from Katara. It definitely wouldn't help his cause, especially when he was surrounded by Warriors.

He advanced closer, their voices coming in more clearly. His heart quavered when he heard Katara's mellow, soothing voice. She was probably talking to someone important or respected. Then he heard a loud, teenager voice, energetically raving something about Katara's knife being in the right place again. Her voice replied brutally, sounding like a breaking glacier. Like a mediator, a gentle, fatherly voice interjected and ended their quarrel.

The tribe was coming closer.

Taking a deep breath, Zuko purposely rattled the bushes as he came out into sight.

He didn't want to be hit by cheap shots.

--

Once again, sapphire clashed with fierce gold.

What was he doing here?!

The tribe was halted, and amazed.

There was a long, blank silence.

The Warriors shot each other glances from the corners of their eyes. They were conflicted. This man had saved Katara's life, but he had also tried to kill her. Was he bad?

Before anyone could speak, Sokka broke the shocked silence. "You're still alive?!"

Zuko raised an eyebrow, "Of course" The snap in his voice seemed to rattle their minds, showing them the obvious way to handle this.

A symphony of drawing blades and swooshing water filled the air. Katara had emptied the canteen at her side and held the water between them. Zuko was very outnumbered. He had never felt what it was like to be on the disadvantage, but he knew this was it.

"What do you want Zuko?" Katara's hard voice grazed his ears with the intensity of a blizzard.

He waved his empty hands in front of him. "Look, we have a common problem. We're both being hunted-"

"Why are you being hunted?" She cared very little about manners at the moment.

Habitually, he pinched the bridge of his nose, as he always did when he was annoyed, "Look, the details would take forever to explain, but the point is, I know things you don't, and we can help each other-"

"This is absurd," Katara bent the water into frozen needles, letting them gravitate in front of her. "Leave, or else I'll-" Her words were interrupted by the sound of knives screaming through the air.

Acting reflexively, she melted the gleaming needles and hardened them, putting up a wall of ice, catching the thin, tailed knife just inches from her face. Her eyes were crossed as she looked at it, perplexed. It had been on a dead-on path, right between her eyes.

The atmosphere burst into a flood of motion. Upraised weapons, constant wailing of tailed knives, and the roars of the enraged Warriors shattered the still morning air.

Their enemies eventually came into the clearing, moving like spiders from the tops of the trees.

Zuko knew who they were when he saw Katara catch the distinctive knife. The tassel that was linked to the bottom of the little hilt told Zuko exactly who these people were. He only hoped there were only a few of them.

A maelstrom of clashing weapons and shrieking daggers replaced the tranquil, morning setting. Instead of fighting, Katara looked around, frantically searching for her father.

She watched as Zuko was swallowed up by the sudden charge of Warriors. Then something terrifying stood where he had been seconds later, now behind the Warriors.

Her figure was indisputably female, and her raven black hair trickled down to her waist. Her body seemed to be made from shadows and death. The thin scimitar in her hands rang with the resounding echo as a she blocked a boomerang that had been spinning towards her. The warriors all turned to her, surprised, but ready.

"Sokka?!" She called out, alone in the midst of shouting war cries and dying people.

"Katara!" Sokka's reply was swallowed up by the furious melee.

Everything was such a blur. Everywhere she turned, someone was dying. Whether they wore deep blue fur, or grotesques masks, someone was dying.

She felt so lost in the void, until a hand grabbed her by her shoulder and ripped her body through the mob of charging Warriors. She felt Hakoda shove a pack into her arms, and just barely heard his words. He sounded so quiet, even though he was yelling at the top of his lungs.

The world was spinning.

"Go back! Go back! Just run, Katara!" He kept repeating, but her eyes were glazed over, in a different world. Shaking her, the distressed father shouted over and over again.

Zuko appeared at his side, Sokka trailing closely behind him, looking fierce, frightened and relieved all at once.

"I'll get them out of here." The prince shouted hurriedly. Hastily, Hakoda gave a strained smile and clapped Zuko on the back before turning back to the brawl. The Warriors were dropping to the ground like poisoned flies.

Roughly grabbing Katara's wrist, Zuko yanked her and Sokka from the clearing.

Looking up from his kill just in time, one hunter saw this, and took up immediate pursuit, slipping past the encumbered Warriors.

Sensing another presence behind them Zuko looked back and saw the deadly hunter shadowing their footsteps. Zuko hadn't expected such immediate pursuit.

When the hunter spoke, it sounded like his voice had never been used. "Your father wants you home, Prince Zuko." It sounded like sick, rasping metal. And his laughter was even more unsettling. The gruesome hiss he considered to be mirth escaped his lips, sending chills down Katara's back.

Using the momentum of their pace, Zuko heaved Sokka and Katara ahead of him. With amazing swiftness, Zuko whipped around, drew his swords, and pointed them out behind him, all in one fluid motion.

Predictably, the hunter skewered himself on Zuko's outstretched blades. The shiny blades went in clean and burst from the man's back covered in dark blood and speckled with ravaged tissue and bits of carnage. He had been so close to their backs, teasing and taunting them, too busy to notice that he should've just taken the kill while he was still alive.

Not pausing a second, Zuko kicked the carcass of his blades, turned forward again, and kept his bloody weapons out and ready.

--

The sun was setting before they broke their sprint, collapsing to the spongy loam, chests heaving in exertion.

Sokka rolled over on to his back and murmured, "Oh no…"

Shaking, Katara got to her hands and knees, wrapping her fists around the long green blades of spring grass.

"I couldn't do anything." Her voice was ragged, devastated by their unquestionable loss. The reality of what she hadn't done collapsed on her the moment her body hit the ground and her legs stopped pumping.

Zuko, recovering his breath the fastest, came up to her and placed a surprisingly comforting hand on her back, "None of us saw it coming-"

"Shut up!" She spun on him and slapped his hand away from her, "This never would have happened if you weren't here! If you had just stayed in your stupid palace, and ruled your stupid nation, we wouldn't be here right now!"

Her knife-like words stung him, but Zuko didn't show weakness. "It's war Katara; what else do you expect? Did you think they were going to sit down and chat things out?"

A sharp, resounding crack echoed on the wind as Katara struck her hand across his face. A hand-shaped welt was already forming on his visage.

Sokka winced, "Katara…We're alive because of him…"

"But dad isn't!"

"We don't know that yet!" For the first time, Sokka's face turned serious. "Katara, just calm down-"

"NO!" From high atop the mountains, a booming rumble sounded as the glaciers that were miles away reacted violently to her rage.

This seemed to sober her a little bit. But where the fury was, the sorrow replaced it.

--

Zuko paced back and forth, passing the campfire for what must have been the thousandth time. Sokka, his face emotionless, fed the crackling fire wiry briar he found in the thin outskirts of the forest.

After several hours of waiting, the disowned prince spoke up, irritated with Katara's stubborn lack of interest. "We need to-"

"We're not leaving." Katara's reply was blunt and to the point. But she wasn't shouting anymore.

When Zuko looked to Sokka for help, Sokka shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, as if saying 'Your funeral.'

Chills ran over Zuko's skin.

Katara was getting to him the one way he hated to think about.

He cared for her more and more.

--

Later, deep into the night, Zuko rolled over and opened his eyes. Katara was still awake, sitting, hugging her knees to her chest, staring at the part of the forest her father would emerge from.

Sleepily, he crawled over to her. "Katara, please sleep."

She didn't reply.

"Katara?" He peered over her shoulder and looked upon her face. Her eyes were shut, and her lips were parted delicately, white puffs of breath escaping the breach.

Observing her angelically calm face, Zuko came to be surprised. He hesitated at first, but mustered the courage to drape his robe over her still form. Zuko was left bare-chested, but far from freezing.

Sitting next to her, he draped his alabaster arm around her shoulders. She stirred slightly, leaning into Zuko's side, her slumbering body unconsciously moving towards the heat. Sighing against Zuko's bare chest, she returned to sleep.

The only sounds that carried on the wind were the dying crackles of the fire, Sokka's noisy snores, and Katara's slow, soft breathing.

Silvery, illuminated by the nearly full moon, the billowing clouds parted, allowing Zuko his first sight of the twinkling stars in several months.

His first thought was to wake Katara, but his mind caught on a thought.

He liked it when she slept with him. Her presence extinguished the fire inside of him. But he would always consider her a thorn in his side.

So he watched the stars by himself, and he couldn't care less.

--

**I think this is my longest chapter yet! I typed all this with a funky space bar; it doesn't seem to want to work most of the time. Maybe I just need a new keyboard? Well, I hope I gave you plenty to enjoy and I want reviews!**


	10. Old and New

**What are you talking about Sausebender? I love long reviews! Seriously 3**

**Wow, I have quite the story.**

**So, I work at Gamestop. Obviously, video games are sold here. Well, some guy walks in and asks if I know where a strip club or a Hooters is… I'm 17… I smile and tell him, "This is (My town name), sir, we don't have strip clubs." He walks away, kinda miffed, and drives away in a Shelby GT. Shao and I live in a very small town, so it was sorta…out of the blue…**

**Well, anyway, review and tell me what you think about this chapter! I'm gonna try to clear up the Sokka/Zuko relationship.**

--

Early morning light illuminated the horizon and woke the songbirds. Zuko had already taken back his robe and moved a safe distance away from Katara, fearing her reaction when she woke up to find herself nuzzled against his chest.

Sokka had started breakfast shortly after Zuko relocated himself, filling the air with the enticing scent of meat he found in the bag his father had pushed into Katara's hands.

The other contents of the bag proved that Hakoda was expecting this, and he wouldn't be caught unprepared. He had lovingly packed a large supply of food and water, two thick sleeping bags, a browned map of the immediate area, and a note, written in quickly scrawled Water Tribe code. It read:

'_Katara, don't worry about me. Take care of your mother's necklace and don't let Sokka get himself into trouble. I talked to the prince when you were asleep. He is a good man, and means well, but don't trust him completely. Something is off about him. And Sokka, look after your sister._

_Your father,_

_Hakoda.'_

Sokka had hesitated to let his little sister read the note, but he eventually passed it on. Sokka's heart crumbled to pieces as he watched Katara's sad blue eyes dart back and forth across the scroll, absorbing the scribbled out words. Tears rimmed her eyes when the note was finished, making Sokka feel even worse.

"It's okay Katara, you know dad is tougher than an angry lionturtle when it comes to fights." Sokka had said to her early the previous night, shortly after breaking their run.

"Yeah, but did you see those people? They were like…I don't know…It's hard to even call them people." Katara's voice had been hollow, anxious, and so heartrending.

The memory of the hunters burned fresh in their minds. It was haunting, and it greatly discouraged Hakoda's survival. Begrudgingly, Katara had turned to questioning Zuko to satisfy her snapping nerves.

"Would they take prisoners?" They spoke over a dinner of thin broth and strips of dried meat.

Zuko coughed lightly on his broth, taken aback by her sudden words "Katara, I don't even know who they are." Zuko was becoming annoyed with her sullen mood. Sure, she had reason, but Zuko didn't see the big issue. Of course, he cared little for his own father. Maybe that was the contradiction.

"Okay, if they took prisoners, where would they take them? That outpost?"

"No, that's ridiculous." He didn't want to dash her hopes, but he didn't know what else to say. Zuko knew Hakoda was dead.

Sokka ripped of a chunk of jerky with his incisors, "Well, think! Is there some kind of prison or something?" Sokka had gotten in on it too.

Irritated, Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sharp, stressed sigh, "Well…The Boiling Rock would be my first guess, but that's a whole continent away. The only other prison close to here has been abandoned since Firelord Sozin ruled."

"Where is it?!" Sokka and Katara shouted in unison, leaning forward as if Zuko would whisper the words.

"I have no idea. I only remember its name."

Katara's eyes sparkled, illuminated with that annoying light Zuko loved and hated at the same time. "What's it-"

"It's called Shinku" Zuko cut her off, knowing what her adamant question would be. He tried in vain to resume his paltry meal.

"Shinku…" Katara said the word with trepidation.

Zuko smirked, "You wanna try to find it, don't you?"

Hard set, eyes unwavering, Katara nodded her head sharply, "I would love nothing more than to kill every last one of those nauseating cockroaches" Sokka nodded his head once in agreement, his eyes holding the same resentful coldness.

Zuko's heart fluttered. Her darkness was exhilarating. "I'm going with you."

"We're going our separate ways from here." Katara had already moved to recollect all their belongings, leaving Zuko's untouched.

"I doubt you two can stay alive without my help." Crossing his arms, he leaned against a tree and gave a frosty smirk.

"I don't see why we can't." Sokka shrugged, seeming much more calm than Katara.

They both turned to Katara, waiting for the late rebuttal, but they were only met by her glazed over eyes, unmoving body, and soundless breath. They watched, bewildered as she collapsed to the ground.

--

_She wasn't in this world anymore. Katara felt like she was floating in water as thin as mist. Tiny bubbles ran up the length of her body, tickling her skin upon their ascent to some unseen surface. She felt naked._

_Then the woman appeared in front of her again._

_The lady who wore clouds and fog like robes._

_The Moon Spirit._

_Moving like a dream, the spirit laid one, cloud-wrought hand on Katara's imaginary cheek._

_"Please. Do not forget what you told me. You have to find him."_

_Katara knew whom she was speaking of. The person called Avatar._

_"I don't even know who Avatar is" She wanted to sound irate, but couldn't in the face of such a being._

_"Avatar is not someone's name. An Avatar is a person who will save the world a hundred times over. Someone who can use all four elements."_

_"There are four elements?" This was news to Katara._

_"I can't hold you here much longer. Do not forget."_

_The strange world of ethereal water and dreary panorama faded, replaced by color, trees, blue sky, and Zuko's face inches from hers._

--

_"I promise!!"_ Katara shouted, snapping back to life, and startling Sokka and Zuko.

Just as suddenly as it had occurred, the trance was gone.

Zuko quickly drew back his hand that had been feeling her temperature, looking for anything that would explain the obscurity of her sudden lapse.

Zuko lifted her up off the ground slightly, supporting her head on his lap as she looked around, dazed. Her vision was scrambled, but coming into focus.

"Owww…" She rubbed the growing knot on her head. Vehemently, she realized that she had landed on a rock when she had collapsed.

"Katara?! What happened?" Sokka propped her up in his arms, relieving Zuko of her.

"I…don't know." She lied, and was again surprised that Zuko couldn't detect it.

Zuko shrugged, "Well, whatever, you look fine. Let's get moving."

"Where exactly?" Sokka asked, a slight heave in his voice as he lifted Katara up from the ground.

"To Shinku, I guess." Sighing, he shrugged, indifferent. "Whatever gets me to those backstabbing traitors faster."

Zuko looked away before that irritatingly benign look crossed Katara's face. It was repulsive and enchanting, if anything like that could exist.

--

The odd trio was well on its way. Though the mystery of Katara's sudden collapse had them on edge, ready to catch her this time if she decided to stop living for a third time.

Sokka and Katara walked a few paces ahead of Zuko, trying their best to ignore him. Scoffing occasionally, Zuko just thought about getting his hands around his men's throats, his thoughts lost in the desire for revenge.

A certain voice came to mind. Elderly and gnarled, but so full of youth, Uncle Iroh's advise echoed in his head. 'Sometimes, your imagination works better in the darkness than in the light.'

'I get you now, old man.' His golden eyes rose fell to the grounds in front of him, finally taking them off of Katara's prominent form. 'The one time I could really use an explaination and you're not here. Crazy old man'

--

"No fair, Azula! You can't Firebend in tag!"

"I can do whatever I want. I'm the princess!" The gifted little child stuck out her tongue, mocking the fuming little boy sprawled on the ground in front of her.

"No cheating!"

"Stop whining!"

"Children, stop your squabbling." The old familiar voice rang clear in Zuko's mind.

"Uncle Iroh, Azula isn't playing fair!" Little Zuko sprinted over to his uncle and clung to his thick robes.

Iroh chuckled jubilantly, "Children, the mothbat that hogs the flame is the one that gets burned. Play nicely, little Azula."

"Tch, Zuko's no fun. He just whines when I win." She ran off, her tiny booted feet clacking on the stone path leading back to the palace.

Uncle had dusted off Zuko's cloths, "You shouldn't let her take advantage of your kindness, my nephew."

"What can I do? Dad told me to be nice to Azula…He doesn't even care about me"

Embracing the little child, Iroh chuckled again softly. "Life will strike you so hard one day, but you, my little nephew, will be ready. When life strikes Azula, it will be relentless. Now, let's go find your mother. I'm sure she'll be worried to see you haven't returned home yet."

--

Lost in the past, Zuko sighed, attracting Katara's attention.

Despite not wanting anything to do with him, she felt concerned. Slowing down to fall back beside Zuko, she waved a hand over his vacant eyes.

"Zuko?"

He jumped a little, surprised. "Hm, what?" He pinched his nose as the bittersweet memories fled to the back of his mind where they belonged.

"You look…not here." She gave a strained, crooked smile, Zuko's favorite smile.

He gave the same smile back, "Thought you didn't want me here."

Sokka, eyes glued to the map his father had hurriedly packed, was completely oblivious to their not-so-concealed exchange.

"Well, I thought about it."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, and when I'm not tied to a rhino, left in the snow, and being threatened by cold blooded Firebenders, you're not a bad escort."

He scoffed "Escort?"

She giggled, surprising Zuko again, "You made it clear that we can never be friends. You know? When you attacked me out of nowhere, for like, the fifteenth time?"

"Stop exaggerating, it was only twice." His voice got quieter as his sentence ended.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. We'll do this one thing together, as partners. But when this is over, we'll never have to suffer each other's company again"

'You're not that bad' Zuko almost blurted. He cut off his words, making a stifled, choking noise instead.

"What was that?" She mocked him with her dancing smile.

He scratched the back of his head and rolled his eyes. Luckily, Sokka pulled his attention from the map, bringing something much more urgent to their attention.

"Look…" His voice was grave, which was rare for Sokka.

Katara and Zuko's effortless smiles faded to expressions of disgust and alarm.

"The Warriors…" Zuko whispered, but he wasn't heard.

Disemboweled bodies lay strewn across the crimson snow. Their eyes were all slit out, and tiny needle-like dagger protruded from their bodies. They had been mutilated and ravaged, far beyond a killing blow.

Recovering first, Sokka began searching the bodies, rolling them over and crossing their arms over their chests. Katara, less motivated, reluctantly joined in, petrified at the feeling of such atrocious fatality.

When the work was done, and all the passed warriors had been placed in respectful death positions, Sokka and Katara let out a sigh of relief.

"Dad's not here." Sokka spoke, life creeping back into his strained voice at the renewed hope.

Zuko had stayed a polite distance away, sitting on a low branch of a pine tree. "They must have captured him. You saw how quickly they chased us. They don't tolerate escaping."

"Dad wouldn't try to escape anyway." Sokka voice was proud, but not quite rude.

"Then we're going to this Shinku place." Katara stood up from the last body, brushing the powdery snow from the man's rigid face, forever locked in an expression of pride and willpower.

Zuko dropped down from the branch, landing like a feline "What if they decided to ship him to the Boiling Rock after all?"

"Then we go there next" She wiped the snow from her knees, unmoved by his doubting words.

Sokka turned to Zuko, "If you want to go your own way, this is your last chance."

The ex-prince sneered, "I've made up my mind. Get me to Shinku, and I'll get you to your father. You help me, I help you." He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the tree he had been sitting in.

Katara, despite the carnage, swaggered up to him, recovering amazingly quick. She held out her long honey-brown hand toward Zuko, and locked her cerulean gaze with his golden one. "So, we're partners, right?"

He took her hand, refusing to break the stare. "For now."

Zuko's favorite smile crossed her face, "Then could you do me a favor?"

He sighed, "What?"

"I want you to burn these bodies. They deserve at least that." The smile faded quickly and her voice cracked on the last word.

"Do me a favor in return?"

She raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Don't ask me for anymore favors."

They grinned widely at each other, their hands still connected. "That's an easy favor. Are you sure you don't want to change your mind? This is the only favor that you get."

"Then on second thought, I'll save my favor." He dropped her hand and went to work on the bodies, giving them their last rites.

Sokka and Katara waited patiently in the same tree Zuko had waited in. Sokka had turned to the map again, and Katara swirled a globe of water around in her hands, freezing and unfreezing it. Fortunately, the wind blew the putrid smell of burning bodies away from them.

Finishing, Zuko tuned backed to the dark skinned pair, and brushed his hands together. "Done."

"Thank you Zuko." Katara dropped from the tree, almost as gracefully as Zuko. Sokka followed, fumbling with the heavy bag upon his descent.

"Have you found out where to go yet?" Zuko faced Sokka.

Sweeping his eyes over the map one last time before stowing it away, Sokka nodded slowly, "Yeah I think so. Due south of here is a big black field." Zuko's eyes lit up knowingly, "Of course, we avoided it. It looked like there used to be a forest there, but is was burnt to ashes."

Nodding, Zuko whispered, "That would be it."

--

**Ugh, this took forever! I can't tell you how many times I went back and erased a thousand or so words. Next chapter will be up shortly. Promise. By the way, the word Shinku means scarlet in Japanese. Review please.**


	11. Blood, Lightning, and Metal

**Hey, everyone!**

**I'm just gonna get right to the story.**

**I do not own Avatar. Review please.**

--

Servants cowered in her wake.

Their eyes flashed with the kind of terror that only Azula could invoke.

The princess of the Firenation moved like a serpent, her steps were fluid and whispery.

She was the jewel of the Royal Family. The sword that would strike the last blows against the world.

She walked, smirking, to her destination, the larges conference room where the generals awaited her arrival. Her father was also waiting. Her mentor and trainer. And her wielder.

Everything about her appearance was flawless, from her meticulously kept nails down to her sharp pointed boots. Even her smile had the air of a sharpened blade.

Stirring, golden eyes glared daggers at the bewildered house servants as they dropped to their knees and gave Azula much-deserved fealty.

The fiery princess was not expected back at the palace so soon. The Firelord himself had called her back from her victory over Omashu. Irate at not being told what the big deal was, she had taken her fury out on several of the slaves she had been instructed to bring home. But like her father would care.

Why worry about a few slaves when they were steps away from holding the entire world in their claws?

As she approached the giant carved doors, the guards snapped to attention, giving a shaky salute. They were just as shocked as the servants had been.

"Move aside, fools." Her cool, flowing voice burned like acid in their ears.

"Yes, Princess Azula." They did not hesitate in opening the doors wide for her passage.

All eyes turned to the new arrival to the war meeting. The weathered old general welcomed her graciously, but still showed the outmost respect. Still smirking, she took her seat next to her father.

They matched almost perfectly. They both had the appearance of a razor, and they both invoked the same fear in the hearts of all who knew them. He gave a smile, far from fatherly, but still gratifying.

"Azula. I take it your travels went well?"

"Yes, father. We had trouble with an underground resistance, but once we found their leader, it was like cutting the head off of a chicken."

"Excellent. My pride grows with every victory you achieve, my daughter."

Azula's cold face melted into a teary smile. "Thank you father."

Firelord Ozai looked from Azula to the gathered generals.

"Only a few of you know why I have called this gathering. Before we begin, I would like to hear everyone's opinion on my son, Prince Zuko."

There was an uneasy shuffling among the gathered men and women. Azula, of course, spoke first. "He's a failure." Everyone chuckled.

A tall, well-built woman spoke next. "Prince Zuko just hasn't been molded properly. He has picked up too many habits from former General Iroh. I believe with proper training and discipline, he could come close to matching Princess Azula."

A squat, bulky man with a graying beard scoffed, "Hah! Prince Zuko had his head shoved in books while Princess Azula was fighting Waterbenders! And defeating them, if I might add." The man looked over to receive an affirmative look from the princess. He continued, "Prince Zuko is completely hopeless. If he _does_ return from his mission, he should be immediately run out of the Firenation."

Several people nodded, and murmured conversations arose amidst the generals.

Azula's raven-like eyes scanned the faces of her devoted followers. She turned to her father, whose similar eyes were also appraising their most trusted Firebenders.

"What has happened to Zuko, father?" Her curiosity had gotten the best of her.

Without answering, Ozai rose looming over the assembly. "Two mornings ago, I received a messenger hawk from the outpost in the Haiyu Tundra. The Post Leader Hagen reported to me that, alongside the Southern Water Tribe, the former Prince Zuko acted against the Firenation, betraying his men, and leaving them for dead in the unforgiving tundra."

A shocked silence fell over the assembly like a veil. Some wore smug sneers, while others pitifully shook their heads. The large woman from before broke the silence, "If this is true, than we cannot allow Zuko to live just as we cannot allow the Water Tribe to live."

"We launch a massive search and destroy party, I say! We eliminate the Water scum and that disgraceful traitor!"

Azula couldn't help but laugh, "I agree father."

A crooked grin cracked across Ozai's pallid face, "It seems our course of action has been laid out. Azula," She turned her grinning face to his, "You will be leading this mission. I am leaving it your hands to hand pick your troops, and bring the traitor down."

"I will gladly hunt down my brother." Her raven-like eyes gleamed with the thrill of a hunt.

"You no longer have a brother, Azula. He is an enemy of the Firenation, and will be treated as so. Just like Iroh."

The memory of Iroh left a bitter feeling in her chest. Nodding curtly, she turned her attention back to the assembly. They were now cheering, praising the Royal Family, and cursing Zuko's name.

--

Gradually, the generals filed out of the room, paying their last respects to the Firelord and princess before retiring for the night. Azula and Ozai were eventually alone. The princess yawned widely, and rose to leave the room behind the last generals.

"Azula." She halted and turned to him eagerly, instantly forgetting the warm welcome of her bed.

"Yes father?"

"There is something I must teach you before you leave here."

She smiled sharply, "I'm listening." Her voice was eager and hungry.

"You know the pure extensions of the elements, correct?"

Her voice faltered, "Uh, I know that the extension of fire is lightning, but I was unaware that there were others."

Ozai hummed deep in his chest, "Then listen carefully, for this will be vital to the cause of your mission."

Azula sat hurriedly back on her cushion, awaiting her father's words.

"Only a few benders in the world can make contact with their respective pure extensions. Just as you and I control lightning, there are others that can control something out of their element. Can you guess what an Earth extension might be?"

She shook her head, something she rarely did. "Sand?"

"Well, that's a minor one. All Earthbenders can control sand. But very few can control metal."

"Metal…" She whispered, mentally slapping herself. It was obvious.

"Yes, metal. A signal Earthbender can rip the bottom off of a ship with just a small tug. Do you know the extension of Water?"

She was again at a loss, "Oh…Ice?"

He shook his head, lines of disappointment creasing his forehead, "Again, all Waterbenders can control ice. Waterbenders are perhaps the greatest danger to us. They can do something that even Firelord Azulon would find atrocious."

On edge, Azula waited for the answer.

"It's blood. A Waterbender can reach into your veins and use them like puppet strings. A master can make you snap your neck, or use the knife in your hands to cut your own wrists. These people cannot be taken lightly. Do you understand, Azula?"

It took her a second to nod her head. It wasn't fear she felt; Azula had never felt fear. She was amazed. All her life, she was raised to believe that no other nation came close to matching the Firenation's power, and now her father was warning that they were indeed a danger.

"I'm telling you this because the men that were traveling with Zuko witnessed a Bloodbender. She assaulted the men, and her and Zuko escaped flawlessly. I thought it would be time to tell you. All the people you ever fought were just normal benders. You will undoubtedly encounter the Bloodbender. Katara is the scum's name, and the soldiers said that her and Zuko were intimately close." He scowled, a mixture of disgrace and exaggerated horror.

Azula mimicked his sarcastic look. "I always knew Zuzu would disgrace us one way or another. It seems exceeded both my expectations."

Ozai grinned at his daughter sardonic wit "I have arranged for a ship to escort you to the Southern Tundra. You and your hand chosen army will be dropped off at the outpost." Ozai raised a hand to silence the question that formed on her lips. "I would have called for a war balloon, but the wretched cold freezes the engines, and I can't risk your safety on swiftness."

"I understand, father."

"Now you should retire for the night. You have a busy day ahead of you, my daughter."

"I will not disappoint you like Zuko and Iroh did." He brow furrowed as her malicious grin spread even further across her face.

--

"Zuko, what are you doing?" Zuko had his ear pressed against the ground, looking rather comical.

"Shh!" He silenced Katara's mocking giggle.

"What are you doing?" Sokka paid no heed to Zuko's request.

They had traveled almost nonstop, taking breaks only to eat, sleep and bathe. Their supply of food was almost out, and the rain had picked up again, drenching their once warm blankets.

The soft sound of the drizzling rain hitting the new spring leaves was like a lullaby to Katara. She had never heard such a beautiful symphony, this being her first spring on a different continent. The rain had started as a torrent, making the trio miserable and cold, but it eventually thinned out to a heavy mist, which was much more bearable.

Katara cocked her head to the side questionably, "Are you listening for something?"

"We should be close to Shinku. Here, listen." He beckoned for her to lower her ear to the ground.

When she did, she was confused at what she heard. "It sounds like…metal rubbing together. And…creaking…like something huge is moving down there."

"It's not 'down there'. It's above ground."

She shook her head drawing a blank. Zuko answered her, "That's the sound of Shinku opening it's doors. Even through stories, I know what that sound is."

Sokka scratched his head, "Wait, if Shinku is big enough to make such a huge sound, why didn't the Warriors and me see it? It has to be huge right? We saw all the way across that field and there was nothing."

Zuko lifted himself off the ground, watching Katara's body as it lay sprawled on the ground beneath him, her ear still cocked to listen. "It's not a building. Shinku is a pit. A huge underground complex of tunnels and natural chambers that the Firenation transformed into a massive prison."

Sokka was awestruck, "Are you serious?!" He slapped his hand to his forehead. "I suppose there's only one way in, right?"

"You supposed right."

Sokka slapped his forehead again, "Why didn't you tell this to us before?!"

"You didn't ask" He gave an exasperated shrug and a sheepish scoff.

Katara rose from the ground, "Well, we're just going to have to improvise."

Zuko watched as she brushed off her thick blue robes. She turned to Zuko, one hip cocked to the side. "Hey Zuko, can I have another favor?"

He moaned and gave an exaggerated sigh, "What?"

"I need to warm up. I haven't fought anybody in days and I'm not going in unprepared."

Zuko's chest fluttered. "Oh. Yeah, I suppose I can do that. I still have to get you back for that weird blood thing you did."

Despite the horror of it, Katara laughed and turned her gaze to the moon. "The full moon won't be here for a couple nights. I'd say you're safe for now." She turned her dancing eyes back to Zuko and cocked her hip to the other side, "You're not scared, are you?"

Zuko scoffed, "Hah, like I would be afraid of a little girl." He lowered himself into a steady pose, his hands flat and aimed toward her. Sokka scurried out of the way.

Katara took up her own pose and reached into the bag, pulling the water from their full canteens. "First one to get burned loses."

Zuko contemplated whether a burn from fire would hurt more than a frost burn. He didn't think long though, as the first jet of water reached for his legs.

He already felt the fire spark to life in his chest, ignited by the fiery Waterbender.

--

**Oh man, I hate to cut it off here, but worry not! I will update tomorrow right after work!**

**Reviews please!! I love motivation!! Oh, and I apologize for any stupid errors, I only have enough time to skim through this once.**


	12. Water vs Fire

**Ugh, I still feel really stupid about that silly mistake last chapter. Eww, I'll never get over it. Bleh. Anyway, here is the next chapter. Forgive my ridiculous errors, for I can only type when I am irrationally tired!**

**I do not own Avatar.**

--

The words of her mother echoed in her ears. Although her mother had not been Waterbender, she had taught Katara more than the basic, schooling her in advanced techniques, and laying out the path of a Waterbending prodigy for her daughter.

'_Keep your balance' 'Don't throw your elbows too much; keep them center' 'Breathe deeply, then pivot. It's a rhythm, Katara, like a flow.'_

A tender smile crept across her face when those memories surfaced. She had been so flustered when she first tried to Waterbend. The water just didn't obey her.

When her mother died, everything seemed dead to her, until she tried to Waterbend; it came like second nature. Katara had always considered it her mother's gift to her.

And right now, she was thankful beyond reason that she was so well armed.

Zuko circled her, looking for a weak point in her defenses. It seemed that Zuko knew a Waterbender combined both offence and defense into their form. Her attempts to trip him up had ended in failure. He was much to quick to be uprooted so quickly.

Sokka called from behind a small knoll. "Hey guys, we gotta get to sleep. This is our last night befor-"

Katara and Zuko shouted in unison, "Shut up!!" Their eyes clashed, completely absorbed in the building tension of the fight. Sokka waved his hands, as if waving away a thought, "Whatever, whatever."

Zuko scanned her body for the hundredth time. Her form was flawless. No gaps, no holes, not even an unstable leg or a shaky arm.

Surprisingly, she put up her hand in a halting motion, "Wait just a sec." Hurriedly, she pulled her parka up over her head and shed the thick robes underneath, leaving her in a white strap of cloth wrapped around her breasts and thin, clingy white trousers. Her hair tumbled down her back, bouncing at every movement.

Knowing he would get too hot sooner or later, Zuko shrugged off his vest-like robe, leaving him bare-chested and dressed in only the thick trousers he had on.

Simultaneously taking deep breaths, they launched their first assaults, beating each other to the cue.

Katara ducked his swirling fireball by falling flat against the ground, going down into to the splits and lying flat on her back. Zuko dodged the sharpened ice disk by jumping to the side, landing in a swift roll, positioning himself where Katara wouldn't see him quick enough.

As if by instinct, Katara knew what his move would be. Snapping her legs together, she threw them upward, using the momentum to fling herself upright. Sweeping her arms out wide from her body, she surrounded herself in a ring of rushing water.

Hindered, Zuko took a few steps back from her defense and decided to throw a few jets of fire instead.

Zuko had reluctantly learned hand-to-hand combat. His trained eye saw that she had not. If he could get in close enough, he could catch her in a lock, twist her arms behind her back, and force her to her knees.

With his strategy laid out for him, Zuko cautiously took strained steps toward her, fighting his way to her.

She was relentless. Disk after disk shot towards, getting faster and faster. His pants now bore tiny tears.

She had too much of an advantage. Falling to old techniques, Zuko gathered his energy in his center, feeling the heat of the collective force. He mentally pushed it into his hands, his pointer fingers straight outward, and exhaled sharply. Spewing from his fingers, a vicious eruption of bright orange fire spilled from his fingertips, forming a burning whip.

Not one to be shown up, Katara mimicked his weapon, pulling all of her water into one force of energy. Armed with their elemental whips, they once again circled each other, looking for the opening that the other was sure to hide.

The light in Katara's eyes thrilled Zuko, making his flames burn hotter. His heart raced every time she moved. All of her movements were like an erotic dance. The way her hips rocked to the compliment her hands, and the way her hair flew over her face with every pivot and every gentle spring.

Katara was not oblivious to Zuko either.

She was engulfed by his pure passion. It terrified her and delighted her all at once. His smooth but powerful thrusts and punches were so well placed, and so well performed.

Only minute into the fight, Katara jumped back, as Zuko had gotten much too close for comfort. She had eventually caught onto his motives, and was briefly amazed he could detect such a well-hidden flaw.

"Why don't you just give up?" Katara mocked him, her breath brimming on the edge of ragged.

He panted, "Having trouble? Wait until you fight me under the sun!"

Enraged, Katara disbanded her whip, morphing into several icy needles. "Don't be so overconfident, Zuko. You don't know what I'm capable of."

Needle after needle shot toward him, whistling like an injured bird. Gracefully, but with growing difficulty, Zuko laboriously sidestepped most of the missiles. Once she was out of ammo, she swept her arms up, pulling the water back towards her, reloading, and firing them again.

With her defense fully becoming her offence, Zuko saw his chance. And he took it gratefully. Rushing and diving into headlong rolls, Zuko sprinted his way to her, ready to disarm her.

Like a hunted animal, Katara's heart leapt and her eyes went wide. She wouldn't be able to pull her water back in time.

His first punch was weakly blocked by her forearm. His second connected with her ribs. And his third, being the least deflected, connected with her stomach, causing her to fold over his arm. All of her water splashed onto the ground, seeping into the soil.

With her immobilized, he dropped down into a spinning kick, sweeping her feet out from under her, sending her backwards. She hit the ground, the breath rushing from her lungs. Zuko was already atop her, straddling her and pinning her wrists above her head.

Despite being such a powerful bender, she was a lousy fighter.

"Didn't you ever learn how to fight?" He asked, her face a mere inch away. His voice was incredulous.

She squirmed feebly, writhing against his rock-like body. "Ugh, I never had a reason to learn until _now_." She continued her useless writhing.

"Well…do you want me to teach you?"

She scoffed, but eventually made sense of his offer, "Fine, whatever, just get _off_ of me."

"You have to get yourself out. That's your first lesson." He tightened his grip.

Yelping, Katara grimaced, "You're hurting my wrists. Get off!"

"Force me off!"

The only sounds on the air were her strained whimpers and heavy breath. She continued her feeble struggle, unable to even jar Zuko.

Zuko heard alert steps behind him, "Zuko, I don't think she can break free. Just let her up." Sokka's voice was unwavering, yet fretful.

Sighing, as if bored, Zuko released her wrists and pushed himself from her body. She lay there for a moment, rubbing her wrists.

Zuko scratched at what her though was an itch, but upon closer inspection, he found that it was frostbite. Before he could hide it, Katara discovered it from the corner of her eye.

"Hah! I win!" She sat up, pointing at his light wound.

He scowled, "Look at your ankle." He pointed in turn

The felt the pain before she saw the bands of pink flesh around her ankle. It wasn't a severe burn, nothing that her water wouldn't heal.

"Well, which one happened first?" They shrugged to each other and turned to Sokka, who also shrugged.

"I was reading the map. I wasn't watching you two play with your bending."

They both scoffed, Katara placing her hands on her hips, "Play?"

"Well, it doesn't matter. You guys have been at it too long. Get some rest, because tomorrow is the day."

The weight of the matter fell upon Katara's conscience again. They would purposely infiltrate a Firenation prison tomorrow.

New thoughts ran through her mind. Would her father want her to do that? Was he even in there? Was he even alive?

A hand gently shook her shoulder. She looked up to see Zuko's eyes scooping hers. "Tell us if you're going to pass out again. I might be able to catch you this time."

She laughed sarcastically, "I'm sure you would."

Grinning crookedly, Zuko lifted her off the ground, and Sokka handed her the robes she had thrown off.

Fleetingly, Zuko took one last examination off her stunning curves and flawless skin before the robe covered them once again.

Katara beckoned Zuko over to the campfire that Sokka had set up. "Come on, I'll heal that burn before it gets painful."

"Heal yourself first. I'm gonna look for a creek." He made his way off into the forest to bathe, taking clean, bloody colored robes and a scruffy looking bar of grayish soap.

She watched him long after he had disappeared, but didn't realize it until Sokka spoke up. "Katara!"

"What?" Her voice was annoyed, though she didn't know why.

"I _said_, could you hand me the seal jerky?" He put out his hand impatiently.

"Oh, yeah." She rustled through the bag, withdrawing the nearly empty bag.

She ignored everything he said after that, consumed by thoughts of Zuko.

No matter how much she wanted to hate him, no matter how much she wanted to make herself free of his company, she would never feel the same.

If it were love, she wouldn't know it. Katara never had time to be in love, and now was definitely not an exception.

Did Zuko feel the same way, or was it just a silly crush? Blushing, she turned her head back to the fire, hoping the light of the flames would drown the color in her cheeks.

--

**I hope I wrote that well. You can visualize it, right? Review please, and tell please, please, alert me to any obvious mistakes. They irk me beyond understanding.**


	13. Flight

**Wow, I really liked writing that last chapter. And guess what? Shao is going to post something soon! Oh, she is amazing!**

**I do not own Avatar.**

--

Cold, black waters splashed against the iron hull of Azula's ship.

It must have been the middle of the night, but Azula wasn't keeping track. She had arrived at the harbor earlier in the evening, and had finally set sail for the Southern Tundra.

Dressed in a comfortable, silk sleeping robe, she stood against the rail of the ship, leaning over the ocean, fantasizing about her new coming victory.

She hadn't gotten the chance to kill Iroh. He had escaped much too quickly. But Zuko… He wouldn't see death coming.

Allies, all of considerable stature, had banded together with Iroh. Zuko had a Waterbender. The scum of a tribe had been wiped out or imprisoned according to late reports.

All to the favor of Azula.

And her army was ready at her heels. She had only chosen the best of the best. Elite Firebenders who were famed for their cruelty and unmerciful temperaments.

And a pair of unique friends who now stood by her side.

"What do you think of the ocean, Mai?" Azula pursed her lips, fighting back a smile.

"What do you _think_? It's filled with nasty fish and it's cold. What else is there to say about it?" Her voice was rough, yet smooth. Like sand sliding through a metal trough.

Azula laughed out loud, "What about you Ty Lee?"

The more cheerful response came from an upside-down smile. "Well, if you ask me, I think it could use some more beaches. Like Ember Island!" The girl, dressed in pink, smiled, coming out of her handstand and landing sprite-like on her toes. Her big, gray-brown eyes twinkled merrily, reflecting the bright stars.

"Of course you would think that Ty Lee, could you be anymore positive?" Azula scoffed, but in a friendly way, which was odd coming from her lips.

"I dunno, I could try!" Ty Lee flipped onto the railing of the ship, her balance perfect, catching the light spray of ocean water the ship threw up.

Mai groaned, her black and red gown fluttering in the wind, "Please, spare us."

Ignoring them, Azula gripped the rail tightly, lost in the fiery thoughts of her brother's death.

"Azula?" The princess looked up to meet Mai's black, snake-like eyes.

"Yes?"

"What do we do when we find him?"

"Why, we kill him of course!" She chuckled casually. Mai didn't talk anymore.

Detecting her silence, she pieced the puzzle pieces together. "Do not betray me Mai. I know you once loved him, but he is nothing now. Only a traitor, a liar, and an enemy. Killing him will be easier than killing a criminal you has wronged you personally."

Mai caught the full force of the words. Her first thoughts were troubled, but the inner turmoil seemed to subside.

"Yeah, you're right. I feel disgusting for even considering my old feelings for him." There was laughter laced in her voice.

Azula didn't reply. She didn't have to.

Instead she turned to Ty Lee, who was now flowing through odd stretches and flips. "What about you Ty Lee? Do you have any objections?"

Ending up in another handstand, she looked up to Azula, looking bizarre and drawing a raised eyebrow from her companions, "Nope! I would do anything for the princess of the Firenation! How could you even doubt me Azula?" She frowned mockingly.

Mai scoffed, "Do you ever stand still?"

Now Ty Lee frowned for real, "Do you ever smile?" Her tiny fists were clutched at her side.

"Stop that." Azula spoke casually, as if addressing a pet.

Like automatons, they obeyed. Rarely did Azula give them, her most trusted friends, direct orders.

She pointed her pale, sharpened finger, "Do you see the island ahead?"

Ty Lee put her hand over her eyes, shielding them from the sun that wasn't there. "Is that the tundra?"

"No, but it's our halfway mark."

"Wow! The ship is moving so fast!" Ty Lee was easily excited.

"Father's orders."

Mai shrugged, "I still prefer the balloon. Why couldn't we take it this far at least?"

"The resistances would no doubt believe that someone as important as me would arrive in a Royal balloon. That's why we're on this dingy old ship."

Mai raised her voice, incredulously, "This ship is _retired_! Did we really have to take that much of a precaution?"

"Have you heard the news about General Zhang?"

"No, what happened to him?" She sounded uninterested.

"He was ambushed by a group of Earthbenders. Even though he was surrounded by an elite force of guards, he was still brutally murdered."

"So? You've got us. Who's going to even try to take on the three of us?"

"The point is, Mai, that General Zhang was completely unaware. And it led to his downfall. He didn't even try to lay low, but instead traveled accompanied by extravagant tag-alongs and a Royal procession. He was a fool, and it resulted in his unfortunate, though much deserved, death." Her words wove together, as if they had been rehearsed.

"Hmph." Mai's objections were snuffed out under the weight of the reality.

The moon climbed to its peak and began to descend. Azula stretched and yawned.

"Go to bed, girls. We can make plans in the morning. We need to handle the Waterbender before we take down Zuko, so we can start on that note."

Mai and Ty Lee folded their hands in front of them and bowed, inclining their heads.

"Good night, Azula."

--

Zuko returned with beads of water in his hair. He promptly shook them away with his fingers, brushing out the tangles as well.

"Did you enjoy you're bath?" Sokka asked raising an eyebrow.

Zuko raised an eyebrow right back, "…Yeah, I did"

"Oh, good" Sokka turned back to his map once again.

Katara rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Well, I guess I'll go take one now. If you're civilized enough to bathe-"

"I'm the prince of the Firenation." He stated bluntly.

"You were." She walked away to the stream, her hips sashaying through the brush.

When he was sure she was out of earshot, Zuko eagerly turned to Sokka, "What's her problem?"

Sokka shrugged his shoulders, "I dunno. It just happens whenever the moon is close to getting full. She acts like a saber-tooth-moose-lion in mating season."

Zuko winced. That was _not_ a pretty analogy.

Sokka gave him the 'don't worry, man' kind of look, "Eh, don't make her mad and you'll live through it. It's only one night."

"A lot can happen in one night." His eyes fell into the past. He could still feel his veins being tugged like puppet strings. '_Never trust a prisoner, Prince Zuko'_

The words had haunted him. And yet, it gave him that annoying tingling sensation in his chest that he craved so much.

Zuko settled himself on top of his laid-out blankets, "So, what's so interesting about me bathing?"

Sokka pretended to not hear what he had said, "Hm? Did you say something?"

Impossibly, Zuko's eyebrow went even higher, "Never mind…"

There was an awkward silence between them. Crickets chirped and slight breezes whistled through the budding leaves.

Sokka flipped his hands in a 'moving on' gesture, "Soooo…What's it like in the Firenation? Is it…hot?"

Zuko shrugged, intent on watching the campfire, "Most of the year. We have mild winters, and it never snows. Hardly rains."

"Oh…it snows all year where we live."

"Oh…"

"…Yep…snow and ice…that's what we're all about…"

"That's interesting…"

"...It truly is…"

Another awkward silence passed between them. They both ached for Katara's presence so they didn't have to talk to each other anymore.

Zuko broke some nearby twigs and flicked them into the fire.

Sokka glanced over the map that was already nailed to his memory.

Their hearts leaped when Katara whisked through the bushes, shaking the clinging drops of water from her hair.

"What's left to eat?" She immediately proceeded to the bad of whatever food was left.

Sokka handed her the nearly empty bag. "Nothing but the bad ends of seal jerky." He almost looked sad. "We need to find some meat before we go in."

Zuko scoffed, "What we need to find is an Earthbender. Not meat. There are plenty of things to eat around us." Zuko reached over from his lounging position and pull a branch down from a nearby shrub, bringing attention to the little blue berries. "See?"

Sokka crossed his arms over his chest and grumbled.

Katara sighed, looking at the jerky in her hands longingly, "Here Sokka," She held the meat out for him, "I'll forage for food."

Sokka's eyes seemed to sparkle, "Thanks sis!" Sokka didn't hesitate in snatching up the savory meat.

Zuko looked at scene, slightly confused. "But…that was you're food. Why did you give it to him?"

Katara shrugged and popped a few berried in her mouth, "He's my brother. He's done me favors more times than I can count."

"Just because he's you're brother?"

"Well, yeah." She cocked her head to the side and looked at him questionably, "Don't you have any siblings?"

Zuko chuckled lightly, "Yeah. But she'd prefer shooting lightning at me before giving me food. Let alone her own food."

Sokka and Katara exchanged a skeptical look.

Sokka spoke, "Firebenders can shoot lightning?"

"With enough training, yeah."

"Aw, man!!" He slapped himself in the forehead once again, "Like fire isn't bad enough, now we have to dodge _lightning?!"_

"Calm down, Sokka." Katara's voice interjected in his ranting. "I'm sure Zuko's sister is far away in the Firenation. Right Zuko?"

Zuko looked up at her, and then back to the fire, "She's in Omashu. Last I heard, she was scheduled to return to the capital two weeks from now. But who knows," He shrugged and sighed heavily, "She could be on her way here right now, with an entire army at her heels. And you do not want to meet her little girlfriends." A dark cloud crossed over his face.

"Charming." Sokka shoved the jerky into his mouth, trying to feed himself to sleep.

--

Long after Sokka had fallen asleep, Katara scooted closer to Zuko.

"So, what's your sister like exactly?"

"You want to know what to expect." It was more of a statement than a question.

Katara nodded.

"Well," Zuko turned his gaze up to the bleak stars, "You'll recognize her right away. Her fire is blue. But you'll be lucky to see it. She prefers shooting lightning, and there's no way to block it. You need to get the hell out of the way immediately."

Despite the grim topic, Katara grinned and giggled very quietly.

"I didn't mean it as a joke." Zuko couldn't stay serious for very long either. He joined in her silent laughter. Soon, they were sitting shoulder to shoulder.

They looked back to the dying flames of the fire.

"She's probably not coming anyway. She would consider me grunt work."

"What a lovely sister you have." Katara's voice dripped with sarcasm.

There was a silence. Not the awkward 'please stop talking to me' silence that had come between Zuko and Sokka, but a contemplative, peaceful silence.

Zuko shifted, lightly jarring Katara, "Sorry about the fight. I got a little…into it."

Katara tittered nervously, "No, you were right. It's absurd that I can't fight without bending. But I don't think I'm cut out to do anything _but_ bend."

"No that's wrong." Zuko turned his face to hers, "In the Firenation, everyone is taught how to fight without bending, no matter how weak you are. I…had a friend named Ty Lee years ago. She was really feeble, and she couldn't bend. She couldn't even use weapons." Katara interjected with a scoff, "But then, she was taught acrobatics and the arts of charkas and auras."

Katara expression was owlish, "How can you be taught something so simple?"

"It goes beyond simple. It turned out she had a gift for seeing auras and feeling charkas. After we grew up, and after she had sworn her loyalty to my sister, she had become lethal. She knows every pressure point of the human body, and can block your charka flow."

The facts lined up in Katara's head, "But that would mean that-"

Zuko finished for her, "She can take away your bending."

Katara's blood froze. She couldn't fight, and if Zuko's sister really was on her way, that would mean this Ty Lee girl would be at her side. Katara would be rendered completely defenseless.

"…That's scary…"

Zuko rolled his eyes, "Not as scary as you think. Ty Lee can't hold her attention for more than a minute."

The fear melted away, and Katara smiled at the fire. "You've got my back, right?"

Zuko was silent for a moment, "Only if you have mine."

"Tch, I doubt we'll be very far apart. It's Sokka we're going to have to watch out for," She wistfully glanced over at her brother's sleeping form, "He only has a boomerang."

"Who said _he_ was going in?"

Katara gasped. The thought hadn't occurred to her, though she didn't know how to feel. It would be unfair if just she went in and left Sokka in the dark. Hakoda was his father too. But she would be so much more at ease knowing Sokka was okay.

"We would have to leave now." Katara spoke her thoughts out loud.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

"He will never let me live this done" Katara made a face, as if she had seen something filthy.

Shrugging, Zuko said "At least he can't shoot _lightning_ at you."

Katara smiled gently. She couldn't respond to that.

Zuko rose and began gathering some things together. He neatly packed their two grayish, wool blankets, a canteen of water, and a scaling knife.

Not one to just sit around, Katara began filling the empty bag of meat with the abundant berries around them.

Before dawn peaked over the horizon, they were ready to depart. Light circles shadowed their eyes, for they were awake the entire night.

"We'll have to stop along the way to rest." Katara said as she shifted one of the packs over her shoulder.

"Of course. Well, are you ready?"

"Almost." Katara placed a quickly scrawled note in Sokka's bag. "Okay, let's get moving."

They walked away briskly, and when they had gone far enough, they began sprinting.

Sokka would be infuriated when he woke up, but Katara had decided it was for the best.

She glanced over quickly to Zuko, and looked away before he noticed.

She was so glad he was with her.

--

**I really like this chapter. Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	14. Almost there

I love this point of the story

**I love this point of the story. It's going to get really good about now. The story is nearing its end. You'll all hate me. I promise. Or maybe I'm lying! I don't even know! But I've never even imagined anything like this, so deal with it. A few more chapters and you'll know what I mean. The story is going to come together. Did that sound foreboding? Ignore that. Enough of my rambling!**

**I do not own Avatar.**

**Please review!!**

--

Sorry Sokka. Zuko and I decided it would be best if just we went in without you. I'm really sorry. Dad and me will see you soon. At the base of Mount Haiyu at that spring we stopped at. A boomerang can't stop Zuko's sister, let alone lightning. I love you, and I'll see you soon.

_P.S. We left everything except a couple blankets, a knife, and a canteen. Don't eat the red berries. And don't leave your sleeping bag out in the rain._

Sokka had read through the note twice. The words were scribbled close together and took some time to decipher.

His hands quaked and his teeth gnashed together, then he exploded.

"My boomerang can't do _what?!" _He crumpled the note and threw it on the ground. Seconds later, he picked it back up, smoothed it out, and reread the part about the meeting location. After crumbling and disposing of the note a second time, Sokka roughly stuffed the rest of his belongings in the pack that was left for him.

He tromped off in the general direction of Mount Haiyu, grumbling along the way.

He yelled at the birds, having no one else to yell to. "A boomerang can't fight against lightning. Who does she think she _is?!"_

--  
"Katara, don't worry so much. Sokka is fine. The Firenation is on _our _trail, not his." The flames of the makeshift campfire flickered a little brighter with his frustration.

"You don't know Sokka that well. He tends to…have strange cases of vengeful karma."

"Like the whole universe doesn't sit well with him?"

She giggled, "Yeah, pretty much."

"You have no idea what that's like." His voice drifted off.

They had been resting for about an hour now. The luminous, golden dawn was overflowing over the tops off the faraway mountains, and songbirds greeted them curiously.

"So, Sokka told me a little bit about your home."

"Oh did he?"

"Yep."

"So what did he say?"

"Just snow and ice."

"See? I wasn't lying about _everything_."

She was alone in her laughter. Questionably, she looked at him, waiting for his excuse.

"That message I had you decipher. What did it really say?" Zuko wasted no time with hiding what he was after.

Katara's smile faltered, then evaporated completely. "It's complicated."

"We've got all day."

Seeing no way out of this, she sighed and explained herself.

"It was from my father. It told about an ambush between the Fahn Lai Mountain Range and Mount Haiyu."

He was silent for a moment. "You directed us in the completely opposite direction. Why?"

She pulled her knees into her chest, "I didn't want you to hurt my father."

"So you had us blindly heading toward a pass between the Saia Tai Mountains that didn't even _exist?"_

"Well, yeah."

"What kind of an ambush was there?"

"A huge force had come together. Waterbenders, mostly Earthbenders, and a few rebel Firebenders. The Firebenders were described as though they were really old men. A general and…someone else, I forget."

Zuko's eyes went wide. "What? Are you sure?"

"Yep." Katara cocked an eyebrow, "Why is that exciting?"

"…" Zuko settled back down. "No reason. I'm just…imagining things."

"Oh. You know, Sokka is good at that too. You two could get along well." She hoped he would grin with her this time.

But he didn't.

She gave an exasperated sigh, "Ok. What's bothering you?"

He instantly went off with his story, "My uncle was a general. He was put in charge of conquering Bah Sing Se. But he returned as a failure, a Royal disgrace. But no one cared that he had lost his only son in the process, my cousin Luten."

"That's…horrible" Katara looked at the fire, contemplating. Why were Firenation people so awful?

Zuko went on, "One day, about two months after his return, my father sent assassins after him, afraid he would try to take the throne. But my uncle is a Firebending prodigy, like Azula."

"Who?"

"My sister. Her name is Azula."

"Oh…Azula…" Even her name was intimidating. "When you were telling me about her, you said 'girlfriends'. Is there anyone else I have to watch out for?"

"Well, not a person specifically, just the knives she throws."

"Great, that'll be fun." Her voice was heavy with cynicism, "Keep telling me about your uncle."

He didn't hesitate to continue. He actually seemed a bit eager. "Well, my uncle is a prodigy. He assassinated the assassins. Before my father even got the news, my uncle was gone, probably half way across the world."

Katara was silent, "Was -is- he a good man?"

"He stopped his invasion of Bah Sing Se because he felt the pain of losing his son. He realized that he had been causing the citizens of Bah Sing Se the very same pain. Instead of soiling the memory of Luten, he returned a disgrace, and secretly dedicated his life to bettering the lives of people the best he could from within the Firenation. He did things like slip poison into the war generals' cups, setting tank factories on fire, and freeing enraged komodo rhinos loose into the courtyard."

Katara gave a bubbly laugh, "He sounds great!"

"He sounds insane!" Zuko jokingly acted baffled. "You should have seen him laugh about it. His whole belly would jiggle like a jelly squid."

"He told you about it?"

"Yep. I'm the only one who knew it was him. He trusted me so much…" He drifted off again.

"Tch, that's nothing."

"Oh really?"

"Once, my dad and a friend of his accidentally drew a polar hippo into our village."

Zuko's face went pale. Polar hippos were infamous in the Firenation. They were huge, ill tempered, and loved to migrate up to the southern beaches of the Firenation continent to feed on swimming children. "Was anyone killed?"

"I wouldn't be laughing about it if someone had died." Offence trickled into her voice.

"Sorry…so what happened?"

"Well, it knocked over the market stalls of the visiting Earth Kingdom merchants. And then it ate the clothes off of somebody's clothes line." He giggled girlishly.

"You're dad is really great man."

"He is. He also told me that you two had a chat?"

"Oh, yeah, it was nothing, though." He rubbed the back of his head.

"Then you won't have a problem telling me." She raised an eyebrow, challenging him.

"Well…He said…things like, I shouldn't, um." He was having a hard time. "Most of it was warning. Like, I couldn't touch you…or anything…"

She blushed. Of course that's what her father would say, "Oh…." She chuckled uncertainly, "Anything else? Maybe _not_ involving me?"

"He didn't say anything that didn't mention you. He almost begged me to keep you safe if something were to happen. And he trusted me."

"My father is a great judge of character."

Zuko scoffed, "There's not a lot of me to judge."

Katara looked to the sky. It was shifting from deep cobalt to an ashen blue. The clouds billowed merrily across the sky, making it look like a giant pasture of unshaved sheep. "We should get moving. If we're going to make it in time for the full moon, we can't remain in one place very long."

"Let's go, then" He hefted the bag over his shoulder and pointed his splayed hand at the fire, clenched it into a fist, and snuffed the flames.

Katara did likewise, only she couldn't bend the fire out. Instead, she pulled the dew off of all the trees and bushes around them, drawing them all into one globe of water. The dazzling orb caught the sunshine stunningly. The very sight of it made them thirsty.

After bending the water into their canteen, she corked the opening and ran after Zuko, who had already left the clearing.

They once again began to sprint, Katara a few steps behind Zuko.

--

"Did you hear that Princess Azula is coming _here?!"_ An excited soldiers voice echoed under his iron-masked helmet.

A duplicate of himself gasped, "Are you serious?!"

"Absolutely! Her ship is scheduled to arrive tonight!"

"Wow, what's the occasion? Are we finally going to get some reinforcements out here?"

"No, she's going to hunt down Prince Zuko. She brought a whole army!"

"Is Ty Lee with them?"

"Yeah, she is!"

"Man, she is soooo hot"

"I know!! I'm gonna meet her. She's gonna shake my hand."

By the way they talked, they were obviously new recruits, young beardless faces behind an iron visage.

"No way, she only-…Hey, what's this?"

The young man stooped down and picked up a crumpled piece of paper. He unwrinkled it and held it out for both to read.

"Ugh, it's in that stupid code!"

"Who cares? The last time it rained was yesterday, right before nightfall. That means there was an enemy here recently."

"How can you tell?"

One slapped the other in the back on the head, "Isn't it obvious? The paper is perfectly dry. It had to be thrown here late last night."

"Oh, right."

"Come on, let's get this to Admiral Zhao!"

The two metal-clad figures tromped through the forest, back to the outpost. They ranted about how pleased the Admiral would be, and their conversation eventually drifted back to Ty Lee.

--

Azula sat on her pallet, her legs neatly crossed, her fingers interlaced and resting on her lap.

Two similar pallets followed hers, bearing Mai and Ty Lee. They were carried down the streets of the crowded little harbor town, displayed to all the boggling eyes of insignificant commoners. Hidden behind gossamer veils, she grinned, the irony of all this coming together in her head.

Zuko had chosen the way of Uncle Iroh. Flee like a coward and hide among Water trash.

A nervous face peaked through the veils. He would have to have a good reason for the disruption.

"Princess, a group of villagers is blocking our way ahead."

"Kill them."

The man gave a curt nod and his face disappeared from Azula's space. The echoed command was harshly delivered outside. "Kill them"

Azula felt her pallet come to a gentle stop. Soon, screams echoed on the air, and flashes of fire lit up her face like lightning in the middle of the night.

When the last screams were carried off by the wind, the pallets were lifted and resumed their gentle pace down the filthy avenues.

They would be carried all the way through the village, and through the short forest path to the next harbor. There, a sturdier, more respectable ship was waiting for them.

Behind the pallets came the thunder of hundreds of marching steps and clanking armor.

An imposing army marched past the awestruck villagers. Their metal boots pounded the ground, perfectly consistent and perfectly synchronized. They wore masks of white-painted iron over their horned helmets, and all of them carried spears twice their height.

Azula had every advantage on her side. Numbers. Power. The entire Firenation.

She hoped Zuko would put up a good hunt.

--

"There is it." Zuko stopped ahead of her, his breath ragged, but the words came out flowingly. He pointed to a huge empty field of black.

Katara finally came up behind him, holding her sides, her breath just as ragged. "That's Shinku." It was a statement.

Shinku looked like a lake of black water. The only thing that gave it away was the occasional dust devil that the wind whipped off of it. It was definitely menacing.

"Still want to go?" He turned to her, his face set in a doubtful frown.

"Of course I do!" The reply took no time at all.

"Of course you do…" Zuko's shoulders sunk.

"You don't have to go with me you know."

He snorted, "Of course I do. You won't even get in without me."

"We probably won't come out." Katara was trying to convince him, to show him the whole downside.

"I have nothing else to live for…"

"Yes you do"

Before he could ask what, Zuko was stricken to stone.

Katara planted a gentle kiss on his cheek, brushing her fingers along his jaw line. Her hair flowed around his face, picked up by the wind.

What seemed like an hour later to Zuko, she drew back, shouldered her bag, and stepped ahead of Zuko, "Let's hurry."

He didn't say anything, and his face was still locked in amazement.

That was the best kiss he had ever received, and it was only on his cheek!

Her voice called quirkily from ahead, "Did you change your mind?" Her dancing voice mocked him.

"No…" His whisper didn't reach her ears. Regaining control of his body, he sprinted after her, catching up to her quickly.

It was such an odd scene. Katara, back to him, with the plain of Shinku stretching before them, like a waiting mouth.

Waiting to swallow them.

Then he realized it.

He didn't want Firenation girls to be like Katara. He just wanted Katara. She didn't have to be Firenation, it didn't matter.

Zuko didn't have to be Firenation either.

The universe had lined all of this up, event after event, putting the puzzle pieces together.

He remembered the thrill of hunting her, fighting her, even talking to her.

That familiar thrill that sent his heart buzzing every time.

It was all the same feeling. Even the thought of her brought on the pleasant twill.

Katara was all he wanted out of this world. And he realized that if she left this world, he would follow right behind her. If she marched to the ends of the world and decided to take a plunge off the edge, he would be there to fall after her.

He watched her back, lovingly now.

She would never be rid of him.

--

**Ah, yes. The feeling of accomplishment.**

**Thanks to all my reviewers! Much appreciated!**

**I feel like I'm tying loosed ends with this chapter. Am I going to make something bad happen to Sokka? I don't even know that!**


	15. Little Terror

**I called my friend Sugar Queen and she almost wet herself. It was great**.

**I do not own Avatar.**

--

Katara had been afraid to step foot on the blackened soil, but once her foot touched solid ground, it was just like running on water; like nothing was there, yet there was.

She missed the water desperately. If she came out of this alive, the first thing she would do was jump into a river and just swim for hours.

Zuko seemed to be having trouble as well, though he hid it much better than Katara did, whose face was still scrunched in annoyance. He ran swiftly, his blades clanking together occasionally in their shoulder holsters. He didn't worry for himself; he worried for Katara, and what she would find inside Shinku.

"Almost there?" Katara panted the words, keeping up with Zuko, though not without difficulty.

"The opening is in that depression over there." He managed to point out his finger, indicating the darker part of the plain ahead.

She didn't have enough breath to give the snappy response that was on her mind.

But Zuko would have loved it.

--

The sun reached the mountains by the time they got halfway there.

Wilting like a flower, Katara finally collapsed to her knees, stirring up a cloud of thick, black dust.

She had to gasp out the words, for they had been sprinting for nearly an hour, "Can we take one last break?" She held her ribs and hunched over, trying to subside the horrendous cramps.

Zuko was in much the same condition, but he had learned long ago not to show pain. He seemed reluctant, "Fine. We might as well eat the rest of those berries while we have the time."

He sat across from Katara and rummaged through the bag, pulling out the meat-scented bag of berries.

He scooped out a little less than half, and handed the bag to Katara.

They ate in silence, mostly because they didn't have enough breath to hold a conversation.

Katara's heartbeat gradually ceased pounding in her ears and she finally caught her breath soon after that.

"Oh, Katara you have a little," He motioned to the corner of his mouth, indicating the line of berry juice that had escaped from her lips.

"Oops." She touched her fingers to the wrong side of her mouth.

"No, here, let me get it." Without thinking twice, Zuko leaned over and gently wiped the berry juice from the corner of her mouth.

Their eyes locked.

Zuko peered into her familiar cerulean eyes. He had seen them so many different times in so many different ways. They had been flooded with fear, glistened with happiness, and squinted with worry.

Several times, it was worry for him.

Both their faces lit up red when they simultaneously realized Zuko's fingers were still on her face. He slowly dropped them to his lap.

Katara laughed softly, "Remember when you tied me to the horn of the Komodo Rhino and took off to fight those Firebenders?"

Zuko winced when the memory came all too clearly, "Yeah, I do. Why bring it up?"

"I…missed you." Impossibly her cheeks lit up even brighter. "I was scared you wouldn't come back, and your men would treat me like a real prisoner."

He sighed heavily. "I'm really glad I was stabbed in the back."

She didn't mean to, but Katara laughed out loud, "What? Why?"

"Because we would have eventually met again, but as enemies. One of us would have killed the other."

Katara interrupted with a quiet mumble, "I so would've beaten you"

Zuko ignored her snappy retort and went on, "It's safe for you to assume that I'm not coming out of Shinku without you"

"What if," She choked a little, "I'm killed?"

Zuko didn't answer. She already knew what his answer would be.

He would die next to her.

Silent moments passed.

"How did this happen? I leave home to fight in a hopeless war, I get killed, then come back to life, get taken prisoner, find my long lost family, and then I fall in-"

The ground shook underneath them.

They instantly stood up, shucking off any supplies that clung to their bodies. Like the masters they were, they dipped into their respective poses, ready for the onslaught of whatever was coming for them.

Nothing dotted the empty horizon. But the rumbling grew louder and more violent, until their visions were scrambled from the tremor. It was underneath them!

"Zuko?!" Katara's voice was drowned out by the sound of erupting earth. The earth was indeed splitting apart from under them, throwing Katara and Zuko to opposite sides. Dirt filled her eyes, and she was sure Zuko suffered the same.

"Capture the intruders!" Was that a little girl's voice?

Before she could think to stand up, Katara felt thick muscle-bound arms wrap around her torso and pin her arms to her side. A blindfold followed that, and then thick rope was roughly coiled around her wrists and ankles.

"I don't know about these two…" A man spoke. His voice was like a mountain splitting in half. It was oddly familiar…

Hacking up dust with every word, Katara coughed out, "General Fong?"

There was a tense moment where no one spoke. Before she could even wonder how many people were gathered around her, the man spoke again. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"I'm Chief Hakoda's daughter, Katara!"

The man grunted, not sounding satisfied "And who is this? A member of the Firenation?"

"Well, not really." Zuko's dusty reply came from several feet away from Katara. How had a peaceful dinner turn into a capture?

Another silence.

"Is he lying?" General Fong's voice was confused.

That little girl spoke again, and this time Katara was sure it must have been a little girl, "The girl really is Katara, but the man…I can't really tell…"

"Stand him up!" Shuffling followed his command very quickly. Katara knew Zuko was being hoisted to his feet from his insulted grunts as the strange men handled him too roughly.

"Now tell me boy, who are you?"

"My name is Zuko," He had seemed to compose himself, "I was the prince of the Firenation, but due to…unplanned events, I fight against my father."

Yet another silence.

"It's the truth, word for word." Who was that little girl?! And how could she tell if they were lying?

Shocked murmured conversation took the place of the silence. General Fong gave a long contemplative 'Hmmm' Katara imagined him rubbing his chin.

"Release them." His gravely voice descended like a hammer on the men judging by how quickly they complied.

The bindings were the first to go, then she was lifted upright and her eyes were uncovered.

She rubbed her dust-cluttered eyes and swept them across all the faces around her.

The attackers were mostly huge, muscle-clad men, but one very small figure stood among them.

It _had_ been a little girl. She seemed to be staring at…nothing. Her eyes just seemed to look past everything, seeing something that wasn't even physical.

Katara looked to her side just in time to see Zuko's blindfold come off. He rubbed the dust from his eyes as well, and scanned the faces, just as Katara had done. His watery eyes also fell on the tiny girl.

"Katara, I'm so sorry. I had no idea it was you." General Fong rubbed the back of his head, looking ashamed, and drawing the eyes of both Zuko and Katara.

"Did you reach my father?" Her eagerness surprised the group.

"Reach your father? From where?"

"Down in Shinku!"

"Shinku? Is that the name of the complex underneath us?"

"Yes!" Irritation flooded Katara's voice.

"Uh, no. We had no idea Chief Hakoda was being held down there. In fact, only one sector of the entire complex is being used, and we just assumed the Firenation was using it as housing."

"Take us down there, please?"

No one answered her.

Katara and Zuko exchanged skeptical glances. Feeling too far apart, they came together and stood side by side. Zuko's hand came to rest comfortably in the small of her back. _'I've got your back'_

"We can't do that." General Fong seemed to muster the courage to speak first.

"_Why not?!"_ From their bags, Zuko's canteens of water split open, suddenly turned to jagged ice.

Fong grimaced. "Your father gave us direct orders months ago, before you arrived on the mainland, and before Hakoda and his men left to the battlefield."

Katara waited for the rest of the story, her eyes burning through his skull.

"He told us you would be arriving soon. And if we should ever encounter you, we were to keep you from harm, not lead you into it."

She sighed sharply, "Listen. Either I use the front door, or you take me safely through to the bottom. Which do you think my father would prefer?"

Despite her burning anger, Fong dared to laugh, "You truly are Hakoda's daughter. But I'm sorry. I cannot take you down there."

Katara's eyes filled with angry tears.

Fong seemed eager to change the subject. He motioned to the tiny girl at his side. "This is Toph Bei Fong, the toughest Earthbender you'll ever witness." He certainly did a fine job.

Zuko and Katara gawked, but quickly collected themselves, "But…your tiny." Katara's anger had suddenly been replaced with amazement, but it wasn't too far beneath the surface.

"And blind." She added cheerfully. Her smile was mature for her age, twisted and cunning.

"Blind?"

"Blind as a mothbat."

"Sorry, I didn't know." It was Katara's turn to rub the back of her head.

The last rays of sunshine dipped behind the silhouetted mountains and the moon began its cycle. Zuko's power weakened under the moonlight as Katara's flourished to life. She felt it, Zuko felt it, and Toph felt it.

"It's time to go." Toph pumped her elbows into her hips and stomped one foot.

General Fong's desperate cries were buried by mounds of earth-

-Above Katara's head.

The ground closed up above them! Zuko, her and Toph were suddenly in a tunnel that felt as though it were moving, like she was on a shifting platform.

Toph was repeating a sturdy, forceful kind of motion, sliding her feet along the moving ground and digging through invisible dirt with her hands. Her movements reminded Katara of how a snow badger dug a hole in the ice.

There bags were still on the ground before them, as if Toph had just taken the whole ground with her.

Before Katara could ready herself, the ground opened underneath them, giving way to the roof of a tunnel. Zuko and Toph landed easily. Toph had seen it coming, and Zuko was just good. Katara was too dazed to do much more than windmill her arms to keep herself upright in the air upon her surprise descent. Complete darkness greeted them.

Despite the short notice, Zuko was there to catch her.

"Are you okay?" His arms were around her waist, supporting her. She felt ridiculous, like she was being fawned over.

"I'm fine" She brushed herself off, preserving some of her dignity. Startled by the darkness, Zuko created a little flame in his hand, cupping it and holding it out for Katara.

Toph leaned against a wall with an ear pressed to the wall. She knocked on the wall, making a sharp rap. Her words came seconds later. "You want to take five lefts, a sharp right, and go straight from there. You'll eventually enter a large chamber full of barred cells. I think there are grates leading to the outside on the ceiling of the chamber. It's really far away, it's hard to tell."

She knocked again, even harder now, and announced, "There are lots of people in there. I can't tell which are Firenation and which are prisoners, but expect to run into lots of people." She knocked again, "It looks like you'll need my help a little ways ahead, and then I'm out of here."

"I can't thank you enough, Toph." Katara held back her bewildered questions, like _'how do you know that?' _or_ 'how can you see better than I can?'_

Toph flicked her hand, as though flicking away the thought. "Don't mention it Sugar Queen."

"Wha…?"

Toph was already walking ahead, seeming sure of her steps for a blind girl.

Katara turned to whisper to Zuko, "Did she just call me Sugar Queen?"

He smiled daringly, "She did."

Zuko followed Toph. Katara didn't fall more than a few steps back behind Zuko, afraid to lose him ahead of time.

Toph eventually led them to a menacing metal door. It was heavily barred and coated in locked chains.

Cracking her knuckles above her head, Toph waved them back, "Stand aside guys."

They complied without question.

After kissing the tips of her fingers, Toph, to Zuko and Katara's amazement, jabbed them into the door, actually piercing the metal.

"You can metal bend?!" They shouted in unison.

"Sure can." Toph ended her blunt sentence with the sound of tearing metal.

The door had been sheared perfectly in two. Like an usher, Toph motioned them to enter.

"I'll try to convince the guys to come back for you two."

They didn't answer because their gratitude was ineffable. Pushing past the dangling chains, Katara and Zuko passed by Toph, who just stared at the wall opposite of her.

"Knock a few heads on my behalf, will 'ya?"

Katara laughed airily, "We sure will, Toph. Thank you so much."

"Don't mention it, Sugar Queen."

Before Katara could snap, Toph melded into the wall, heading for the surface.

They were alone again.

They looked into each other's eyes, hungry for the comfort.

"Guess we caught a lucky break, huh?" Zuko smiled sheepishly.

"I don't know if this could be considered lucky, Zuko…"

Katara was right. They were in the heart of Shinku. Instead of descending slowly, they had been carried straight down, and the only way out was through the directions Toph had given them. And those directions ensured that they would run into people, good or bad.

"You're ready, right?" The flickering light in Zuko's hand deepened the shadow of the worry creases that etched across his face.

"Yes, I'm ready. I hope…"

Their bags had made the trip down with them as well. Toph had indeed taken the entire ground with her. Katara picked up the canteen and slung it over her shoulder.

"Five lefts, a right, and then straight." Katara recited the memorized directions.

"What are we waiting for?" Zuko's flame increased in size, illuminating their path for several feet.

"I wonder how long we have to walk?"

Zuko shrugged, "She didn't say."

She sighed, "We're burning the full moon. Let's go."

Talk of love had to be saved for later. Hopefully, later would come for them.

--

**I **_**had **_**to bring Toph in at least once. If even for a short time, she had to be in the story. I think it's worse for Katara and Zuko to just be thrust right into the center of Shinku than to travel from the entrance. They only have one way out, and that's through an army. Though they don't know it yet. I know there are going to be mega mistakes in here, because not only am I bone-chillingly tired, I'm sick with a fever. Thank all that is good for Theraflu! It's like a healing potion. **

**Tell me how it's going for you! I like hearing your comments, whether thet're good or bad.**


	16. Let Them Come

**I finally have the ending lined up in my head. I won't say anything about it. Just prepare yourselves. By the way, I'm over my illness! I can breathe again!! Oh, and Theraflu is an amazing medicine. Like I said, it's like a healing potion.**

**I do not own Avatar.**

--

It felt like they had been running for hours.

The tunnels were obviously the work of sort of drill or other machine. The deep furrows in the stone walls channeled the rainwater from above into trenches that lined the path. Fortunately, that meant Katara had all the water she would need down here. And according to Zuko, she would need a lot of it.

"How long have we been running" She huffed, her legs a blur underneath her. The full moon was going to turn to daybreak before they would even get there.

"A couple hours?" Zuko's breath was much more even. Katara pondered if it was because he was a Firebender that gave him such endurance, or if it was just the fact that Zuko was a man. How could that matter now?

"A _couple_ hours? Are you _sure_?" Her voice was a high-pitched squeal, bringing a light grin to Zuko's face.

"I'm sure."

She attempted to make an exasperated sigh, but it came out instead as a groan. It felt like claws of fire were tearing up her guts from the inside.

"Zuko, we need to-"

"This is our right."

She was confused for a moment, but eventually realized that he meant they had to take a right turn.

'Finally' She thought to herself. They were almost there.

But who would be waiting 'there'? An army? A few soldiers?

No one?

She wanted so badly to continue talking to Zuko, to draw whatever comfort he could offer, but if she spoke another word, her lungs would capsize inside of her. At least, that's what it felt like.

So she settled for concentrating on his back as they ran. His clothes had gotten tattered along their rather short journey, but she could still tell they were woven for someone of royalty.

It seemed like it was just yesterday when they had come across Mong's body, only to realize at the same time that the other was there. What if she had made the first move instead of Zuko? Would things have been different?

What if she had succeeded in killing him?

She wouldn't be alive right now…

The events jumbled together in her head, and reluctantly fell on the encounters with the Moon Spirit. Katara had made a promise, but it would have to be put off for a while. She wished she could see the Spirit right now, to tell her she was sorry.

"This is it." Zuko stopped in front of her.

Distracted, Katara collided into his back, knocking them both to the ground. They let out an exhausted 'oof' as they tumbled to the floor of the tunnel. The flame in Zuko's hands went out and darkness swallowed them up like a wave in the ocean.

She sat up on his back, looking down at where the back of his head would be, "Why did you stop so suddenly?"

He groaned and raised himself up with his elbows, "I said this is it."

"Oh…" Katara didn't think of lifting herself from Zuko. He was actually quite comfortable. A pleasant change from the ground she had been sleeping on for the past three months.

Before them, Katara could make out a door outlined by light coming from the other side. Someone was definitely beyond the door.

"Are you going to get off of me?" Zuko's voice was jokingly irritated.

"I don't _want_ to, but in the face of our situation, I guess I have to." She mocked him.

As they stood up and shook themselves off, Zuko reignited the flame in his hands.

Their faces were glowing with the light, and their eyes were locked, as they often were.

"Last chance" He offered.

She snickered, "I'm beginning to think you're scared."

Zuko scoffed like a child who was just revealed to be lying, "I'm scared, but not for myself."

The familiar twills went down her spine and through her chest.

But, before she could respond, a horrible crackling noise resounded in the chamber beyond the door. It sounded like an ancient tree splitting in half as lightning struck it.

The short-lived flame sputtered out in Zuko's hands as he ran full-out and tackled Katara, pressing her against the side of the tunnel. He shouted something, but it was drowned out by a terrible, sizzling noise. Her screamed questions were muffled against his shielding chest.

The next instant, the wooden door splintered apart, ravaged my torrents of angry blue lightning.

Zuko continued to shout, but his words were still undecipherable. Only one word reached her ears

"_-Azula-"_

Katara's eyes lit up with realization.

This was it, the moment they had feared.

Azula really did come for Zuko.

Quiet settled over them, but it was quickly broken by the whistle of knives being thrown through the air.

The resulting thump of daggers burying themselves into the wooden doorframe was dangerously close to Katara's ears.

Zuko turned his back to Katara, ready to take the next attack. But Katara collected her wits in time.

She gathered the water from the canteens, taking two brisk steps to come to Zuko's side. They stood in the devastated doorjamb, facing the three figures on the opposite side.

Katara didn't need to be told who was who.

Azula, her eyes serpent-like, was adorned in deep red plates of what looked like light weight metal. Her hair came down her face to form fangs that framed her perfect complexion. The princess's eyes were disturbingly similar to Zuko's own. She could never enjoy his eyes again without this memory resurfacing.

If they even lived to see each other again.

The two friends that Zuko promised were flanking Azula, one smiling, and one frowning.

The one that must have to be Ty Lee was at Azula's left side, fists presented, ready to damage Zuko and Katara beyond reasoning. Her expression was beaming, a huge smile plastered over her face. Her big brown eyes were so unfitting.

Mai, dark and gloomy, was at Azula's right side, bent over in a throwing position, daggers winking at Katara. Everything about her was depressing.

Torches dimly lighted the entire chamber. And, as Toph had told them, metal-barred cells made up the walls. There was no time to worry about who was in the cells.

Azula spoke first, acid seeping off her voice, "Zuzu, it's so nice to see you again." She wore a fake smile.

"I can't say the same." Zuko's voice was unwavering. Katara felt like she was intruding on a family matter. She didn't feel like a part of this conflict.

The two at Azula's side snickered. It was probably her imagination, but Katara thought she saw a flicker of sympathy in their eyes. The door on the other side of the cavern flew open.

Katara felt a hopeful flutter in her chest, and then it crumbled to dust.

Fully outfitted Firenation soldiers filed into the room. They bore ridiculously long spears and expressions as cold as the South Pole.

The thunderous shuffle of their booted feet overwhelmed her. But Zuko seemed to stand strong at her side.

Two against the Firenation.

Whispering from the corner of his mouth, Zuko spoke, "I told you. She doesn't come personally unless the numbers are on her side."

Katara laughed a quiet grim chuckle "I see what you mean. What do we do?"

"We fight."

"I'm _so_ sorry." Katara took Zuko by surprise.

"For what?"

"If I had just stayed dead, this wouldn't be happening. You would be in a palace right now-"

"Katara, focus" His hand found hers and squeezed gently. "Get ready"

Her mind screamed at her, _'For what?! To die?!' _But she remembered her father and Sokka. They were waiting for her. This seemed to subside her burdened mind.

She gingerly brought her fingers to the charm hanging around her neck. She had cast it from her thoughts, trying to focus on rescuing her father. Now it was the only connection she had to her family.

No matter how she felt at the moment, it didn't matter. She returned Zuko's squeeze.

Unwillingly, their hands fell back into their bending poses, waiting for whatever Azula was going to throw at them.

Azula had waited throughout their exchange, a cruel sardonic look smothered on her face that just got even more twisted when their hands had connected. "Did Zuzu find a friend? How sad that father told me to kill you both." She wiped away an imaginary tear.

"How did you know I was coming here, Azula?" Zuko took a threatening step forward. Katara took it as a suggestion to ready her water.

Azula shrugged aloofly, "Simple. You left a trail as obvious as Firelord Sozin's greatness." She brought her hands out in front of her, ready to lash out. "Your men told me that you had befriended a Water Tribe peasant. The hunters reported the Tribe's capture days later. It was simple. You were coming to free them with your witch beside you."

--

Of course Azula would know where they would be headed.

But there was no time to reprimand himself.

He took one last glance to his side. Katara wore a determined gaze, ready to follow Zuko's actions.

How ironic that Zuko would find everything he had ever needed, only in time to have it taken away.

He wanted to crush his lips against hers, bury his face in her flowing silky tendrils, and tell her that he loved her.

The army advanced and came to line up directly behind Azula.

Zuko picked up the faint whisper. "This is it." She sounded so sad.

He didn't answer.

"We're going to die aren't we?"

He still didn't answer-

-until he felt the wisp of her hair against his ear.

Her hand came around his cheek and yanked his face towards hers. Before Zuko knew what was going on, Katara was pressing her lips against his. The tension melted for just the quickest second.

He couldn't die happy, but he wouldn't die lonely.

And before Zuko could return the kiss, Azula decided to end the moment.

Letting out a mostly controlled shriek, Azula launched a brutal spray of neon blue fire.

Fleetingly, Zuko and Katara came apart, dodge rolling away from each other as the fire ate up the space they had just been standing in.

Katara was on one side of the chamber and Zuko was on the opposite side.

The Waterbender threw her body into seemingly unorganized movements. She twitched and jolted her limps like a puppet on strings. But the effect was anything but unorganized.

The nearby water collected around her, weaving up into the air and forming what eventually came to be eight writhing tentacles.

To keep the form up, she repeated the breathtakingly fast jerks, replacing one move with another when an enemy got to close.

The soldiers were easy enough to stave off. The tentacles would freeze into scythes of water, chopping the heads off the spears and any fingers that got too close. It was Ty Lee that foiled her defense.

Like a leaf in the wind, the smiley acrobat leaped over the reaching arms of water and landed dangerously close to Katara.

Planning on this, Katara threw her arms up, dissipating the octopus form, but bringing up a shield of ice. Ty Lee's fist connected with suddenly solid water and she squeaked in pain, bringing a satisfied smirk to Katara's face.

After rubbing her fist and glaring, Ty Lee lashed out with kicks and jabs that would have connected with Katara's pressure points if a wall of ice didn't greet her punches every time.

The acrobat puffed out her cheeks, beyond frustrated. "Stop _doing_ that!"

Katara was stunned, incredulous. Zuko had been right. She was unbelievable!

'_Wait!' _Katara's senses were heightened with the throes of battle, and they soon let on to something she hadn't detected before. She felt something big, something just on the other side of the wall at her back.

A reservoir.

Water! A huge supply of it. Then Katara remembered the reason they had rushed down here so quickly.

The full moon. Of course she could feel a huge reservoir of water. She was empowered by the moonlight.

Miraculously finding enough time to take a quick glance up, Katara saw that there were indeed grates in the ceiling, like Toph had said.

Even the dim, filtered moonlight was enough.

Mai had come to join Ty Lee, ordering the soldiers to close ranks behind her.

"Stop stretching this out and hit her." Her voice was raspy in such a smooth way, which surprised Katara.

"I can't!" Ty Lee loosed some of her frustration into the yell. "Why don't _you_ do it, Mai? Since your so great?"

"Fine, whatever. Move aside." The gloomy girl crouched down, her arm back and ready to throw more of those flashing daggers.

But her knives clattered to the ground, her arms fell to her sides, and her cries of shock choked up in her throat. She seemed to crumble to the ground like a wave washing over a sand castle.

"Mai? What wrong?" Ty Lee resumed a fighting stance, tossing nervous looks towards Mai.

Mai's jaw trembled as though she were trying to speak.

Ty Lee grew frantic, and her pose drooped, "What's the problem?"

"Me" Katara gritted her teeth as she brought Ty Lee down under her control. The acrobat was much easier to break down, her body being much lighter and flexible.

It was much more difficult to control two people at once, especially with the moonlight being so filtered. But she managed, and their struggling was rendered feeble.

Taking another quick look around and accessing her position, Katara caught the flashes of blue light over the heads of the gathering soldiers.

Zuko was fighting Azula.

"Kill her!" She was jostled from her terrified thoughts.

As one great mass, the army charged Katara, spears on a collision course for her body

--

"You've gotten dull, Zuzu. Not that you were ever very sharp." Azula had been chiding him since she engaged him.

She thrusts her lightning-covered fists towards his ribs, but he eloquently dodged, performing a back-flip and landing several feet away.

She quickly closed the distance, lightning tracing her path. The lightning was out of even her control, she just exuded it, let it roam freely through the cavern.

Several of the soldiers fell victim to their own princess if they got too close.

After minutes of tactful maneuvering and well-placed blasts of scorching blue fire, Azula had finally managed to pin Zuko into a corner. Her hair had fallen slightly out of the topknot, proving that she had to put forth some effort in this fight.

"Still don't know how to shoot lighting? Father should have let me kill you years ago."

Zuko snickered, surprising his fiery sister. "Now I understand why mother didn't love you. You can't stop talking."

Hurt flashed briefly across Azula's face, but it was quickly swapped with insane hatred.

"I didn't need mother to protect me all the time like _you_ did!"

Her two fingers were out-stretched, channeling a string of exceptionally charged lighting. She spun, came forward, and let it loose, aimed dead-on for Zuko.

But Zuko was already gone. The blue streaks blasted the wall where he had previously been, leaving it scorched and black.

Before she could go on the alert, Azula looked up just a split second too late to see Zuko descending upon her. He had ran up the wall, using the wedge of the corner as leverage.

Too fast to see, Zuko's fist connected with her nose, resulting in the snap and muffled rip of cartilage. Torrents of blood followed, and closely in tow were Azula's infuriated, wailing cries.

Not stopping, Zuko followed up by slamming kicks into her sides, knocking the breath out of her.

Zuko was winning, and he couldn't believe it. He was eager to catch another glimpse of Katara. The last sight he had seen was her writhing octopus form desperately fending off the spears of the soldiers. Then Ty Lee, bouncing over everything effortlessly…

Distracted, Zuko caught Azula's fist in his ribs. He folded over and gasped, his breath leaving his lungs.

He had lost his advantage, and there was no getting it back now.

His eyes met hers. They had the same exact eyes, a brilliant, clear topaz. But her eyes were clouded with hate and rage.

Azula seemed to notice this also, though Zuko couldn't imagine what Azula had seen in his eyes.

"We're too similar you and I" A jagged smile cracked her face.

She grabbed his throat with one hand and dug her sharpened nails into his soft flesh. Her other hand was held behind her, forming a globe of writhing blue fire.

Zuko tried to throw her off, kicking and thrashing, but her grip was maniacally strong.

"Too similar…I'll fix it!" The globe in her hand blazed into a blue eruption.

In a fluid motion, Azula brought her fist into his face, the fire wrapping around the left side of his face. At the same time, the hand around Zuko's throat flourished into jolts of blue lightning. His entire body convulsed as the fury coursed through his body, ravaging him.

Zuko didn't realize he was screaming,

His skin melted away as the flames coursed over his visage, licking his ear and singing his hair.

She would have turned his whole skull into ash if a thunderous boom hadn't distracted her.

Dreary and irrational with pain, Zuko could still understand that someone else had entered their battlefield, someone who could bust their way through a rock wall.

A flood of green-hatted figures rushed into the room, taking the advantage of surprise, and caving several soldiers in rocky cocoons.

Those of the army that could react fast enough threw down their spears and took up Firebending poses.

Delirious and in ineffable pain, Zuko was dropped to the ground as a familiar little girl knocked Azula aside with a well-placed boulder.

--

The soldiers all turned away from Katara, all at once. It took her a moment to see why.

They were already ankle deep in quicksand.

Her heart leaped. She didn't know what was going on, but this was her chance to regroup with Zuko. Using this break, Katara weaved through the baffled soldiers, making her way to Zuko's location. Ty Lee and Mai were left quivering and groaning on the ground.

What she found plunged a figurative knife into her heart.

Zuko was leaning pathetically against the far wall, half his face eaten away by fire. His unharmed eye rolled, lost in a vortex of pain. His clothes were burnt around the edges, and his throat bore black, blistering welts.

She didn't feel her legs carry her to him, didn't feel her knees buckle as she fell to his side.

Hot tears overfilled her eyes and seeped down her cheeks.

"Zuko?" Her voice, for the first time in a long time, quailed in fear.

"K…ra…" Distantly, he tried to speak her name.

Water would do her no good. Without the Moon Spirit's help, she couldn't heal him. Not in time.

But still she tried. The fight raged on behind her, the Earthbenders melding with Azula's army, as she coated her hand in glowing blue water.

It chimed angelically, swirling around her fingers. She placed her hand exactly where Azula's had been. The water seeped into his skin, closing the blisters and taking away the grotesque blackness. After she had done all she could do, Katara placed her water-gloved hand and laid it over Zuko's face. The skin reformed, stitching together, but not re-growing much. His eye had been unharmed, but his eyelid had been melted into a grisly slit.

That was all she could do. Make him look better.

It wasn't working. Boulders and fireballs flew inches away from her head, but hey didn't exist to her right now.

The battle cries of freed Water Tribe Warriors resonated off the cavern walls, but Katara didn't care.

His eyes were focused on hers, for what they knew would be the last time.

His lips trembled, "H...how do I…look?" He spoke with extreme difficulty.

Katara wanted to smile, but she had forgotten how, "You look fine, Zuko. Get up, we need to get out of here."

His life was ebbing away. The lightning had destroyed his insides, devastated his heart. She couldn't heal what she couldn't see.

Before the misery could overtake her, Katara heard the familiar voice echo through her mind.

"_I gave you life. You can do what you wish with it."_

--

**So, yeah. There it is. This took a while. Much planning. By the way, I probably spelt lightning as lighting a couple times. I'm fairly sure I didn't catch all of them. Review and tell me your thoughts! Final chapter will be up soon. And then I'll let you know if there will be a sequel or not.**


	17. End of Everything

**I do not own Avatar I do not own Avatar**

--

"Mine to give…" Katara whispered under her breath. Zuko's eyes twinkled, and then went dim and unfocused. A shadow crossed her. Denial and sorrow overflowed inside of her, mingling into a hurricane of anguish, though her face showed nothing.

Katara had her hands to his face still, healing what couldn't be healed. The water fell away, pouring off of her hand and over Zuko's face.

She could already feel the warmth leaving his skin.

He was dead.

His empty topaz eyes still looked up at her. Though they no longer saw anything, Katara imagined that Zuko was watching her tears fall onto his cheeks.

He would want to reach up and brush them away, but he couldn't.

All the memories passed through her mind.

Being cast into the river as a charred corpse. Zuko tying her to the horn of the saddle on that ill-tempered rhino. Those long, awkward nights sleeping against his body. The run through the tunnel, and their last conversations.

The most relevant memory was the night with the mothbats. The beautiful, glowing creatures that had followed her throughout the last few months. Sure they had turned out to be carnivorous scavengers, but their beauty was unquestionable. She wished she could laugh about it now. Zuko thought he was showing her something beautiful, but it had only turned out to be grotesque and macabre. He had apologized so any times, and she had eventually begged him to stop. Such happy memories among her long and tedious capture…

She wanted to laugh with him. She wanted to hug him and feel his arms hug her back.

She wanted Zuko alive again.

She didn't want to be cursed to live without him, to never hear his voice again, or the exciting warmth of his skin. Even if they had to wander the world forever, as long as they were together, she didn't care.

Hate replaced the pain. Azula had to die, everyone had to die. Ty Lee, Mai, all the soldiers had to be crushed.

The reservoir resurfaced in her mind. The full moon was still with her.

She would use what they had hurried here to harvest. The moonlight would carry out her vengeance. It would call the water that would drown Azula and smash her against the cave wall.

She stood, her head bent to the ground, and her arms rose above her head. Twisting her wrists and moving her fingers like waves, she reached out to the reservoir behind the wall.

At first, the chamber vibrated. By the time everyone noticed the rumble, all fighting had ceased, and every head was turned to the wall.

It started as just a couple spurts of water jetting out of the wall. It was like a dam breaking. Chunks of stone crumbled away, giving way to the torrents of freezing water.

The people nearest the wall were the first to be swept up, catching the whole brutal force.

Crashing like an ocean breaker, the tidal wave swallowed half the room in a spilt second. Cries were drowned out. Earthbenders, Warriors, and Firebenders alike were swept away, only to be sent crashing into the opposite wall.

Katara didn't care who she hurt. The pain ran so deep, carving furrows in to her very identity.

Before the wave could reach her, Katara made a platform of ice set above the water line. Zuko's body lay at her feet. He looked like he was just sleeping in the tent they had both hated so much.

Hugging herself, she kneeled down to his side again. All she could do was stare at his half-closed eyes. The fire in them was gone.

She placed her hands on either side of his face. The scarred side of his face felt no different than his good side to her.

"I _told_ you we were going to die." Hollow and void, Katara's voice reached no one's ears.

She didn't want to live without him.

She mentally laughed at herself. How odd that only a few short months ago, he was hunting her, bent on killing her.

Where did this love come from?

She didn't want this life anymore.

But she didn't want Zuko to live the life she was afraid of. He wouldn't want to live without her either.

But that was just too damn bad.

She closed her eyes, tuning out the revived fighting behind her.

She willed her life away, channeling it through her hands and into his body.

The heavy pull of death tugged on her mind. She could keenly feel the draining of her life.

But the life didn't die, it just moved. Moved into Zuko.

Her last smile spread over her face when she saw Zuko's chest rise beneath her.

His skin was becoming warm beneath her hands, while hers was getting colder.

The drain was agonizing. It didn't hurt, but the chill of it gave her chills that went beyond her flesh. It crept along her very aura. She could imagine it turning from a brilliant blue to an empty gray.

And she could imagine Zuko's turning from gray back to the fiery red that it should be.

Zuko's eyes opened, once again bright with the inner fire.

Their gaze met when she was half dead and he was half alive. For a short moment, they were both alive. Together again.

Her aggrieved voice was muted, "I thought you would need it more."

"What are you…stop!" Zuko realized it too late.

Before he regained control of his body, before he could stop her, Katara passed on the last currents of life from her body.

His arms wrapped around her dead body as she fell forward, her last breath sighing from her lips.

Tears ebbed from his eyes, angry and burning. He had cried like this before. When his mother left them, and again when his Uncle followed.

She was lifeless. Fully passed from this world.

Lovingly, he cradled her head in his arms, laying her down while he sat up. They traded places, the sick irony not going unoticed by Zuko.

Why would she do that?! He was fine with being dead! He couldn't do this! She was his life, and it was his own fault he had died.

She looked so angelic beneath him. Her hair was splayed around her face, flowing and untamed. The charm on her necklace was restfully settled in the crook of her neck. It had lost its bluish glow, as if it had died alongside her.

A familiar voice boomed behind him, over the renewed clamor of battle. General Fong had raised his own platform of earth to carry him up to the icy plateau that Katara had made.

"What is it? What's- oh no…" Fong spied the rag doll body of the Waterbender. Words escaped him. There were no words to describe his guilt. All that he could do was heave a mournful groan.

Regaining his composure quickly, Fong addressed the other two Earthbenders on his platform. "Keep Chief Hakoda away!" Zuko heard the general lower his earth pedestal and return to the fighting. The tumult of the brawl was slowly receding. Zuko couldn't tell who was winning.

Cries reached his ears. It seemed that Hakoda had guessed at what was up there. "My daughter…My daughter…" The words stung Zuko. He had promised Hakoda that no harm would come to Katara. Not under his watch.

But who could have known that she would be the one to harm herself?

He just continued to cradle her head, stroking her icy cheeks. Her tears were still wet on her face. Zuko's own tears soon mingled with them.

--

"You gave it up" The statement woke Katara's consciousness. The voice came from a tall man. He stood across from her. He was beautiful, long flowing brown hair flowing like it was caught in a breeze she couldn't feel. Flowing waves of black water cloaked his body.

She couldn't respond. She didn't have the will. She was once again floating in the water that felt like air. The bubbles wound up her legs like they had done had last time she was here.

The man smiled, warm and fatherly.

"You don't know who I am."

She shook her head, the most she could.

"I am the Ocean Spirit. I was told that you were already given life. By my sister, the Moon spirit."

Katara nodded.

"You can't die yet."

He reached out his transparent hand. Despite its transparency, it felt solid and warm, like a real hand. Katara leaned her face into his hand, taking pleasure in the warmth of life his hand radiated.

"It is a heavy toll on my part, but I will let you live again. You're life will be much shorter, but it is life, nonetheless."

She couldn't thank him, but it seemed that the Ocean Spirit detected how much she wanted to.

"My one request,"

She waited wistfully as he paused, capturing her full attention.

"Is that you must keep your promise to my sister. Find the Avatar."

Eyes set in determination, she nodded.

"Then go back. I'm sure you know your way by now." He laughed. It contained the calmness of surf against a beach.

The familiar sweeping motion overtook her body, and the dark figure before her faded back into the realm of spirits, laughing all the way.

On her way back to life, Katara made a bargain with herself. 'This is my third life. Let's make this one last."

--

The first thing she felt were her aching muscles, covered in bruises and cuts. Hot tears on her cheeks were next to present themselves.

How long had she been dead? If her tears were still warm, it couldn't have been very long.

Quiet, muffled sobs told her otherwise. They weren't her tears. They belonged to whoever was crying above her.

The din of the battle had ceased, telling Katara that it was long over.

She heard sad murmuring around her, as if a large group was gathered at her side. They thought she was dead.

Trying to move her arms, she succeeded in only twitching her fingers. Nobody noticed, of course.

Talking was just as feeble of an attempt. She couldn't even move her lips.

She heard the sobs more clearly now. They were soft and gentle, and they were Zuko's.

Her chest twilled painfully. Her heartbeat picked up, pumping blood through her veins once again.

Hakoda's voice was made clear next. He just kept repeating, "My daughter…my daughter…" Occasionally, his words cracked under a sob.

Then shrills and alert, the only clear voice in the room, Toph's voice reached her ears.

"Wait! Stop your blubbering!" Katara, though she couldn't see it, knew that Toph had stepped forward. "Her heart is beating again!"

Everything went silent. The sobs subsided and she felt a hand prod her neck, searching for her pulse.

"Katara?" Zuko's voice filled her ears.

All Katara could do was groan. That was all it took.

Warm arms swept over her, embracing her against Zuko's body.

"How do you keep coming back to life?" His voice was heavy with relief, breaking with happiness he didn't know how to express.

It was difficult to speak, but Katara croaked, "I dunno…"

Her father's voice was breathless with emotion, "Thank the Water Spirits!"

Muttering, Katara mumbled, "You have no idea…" She lapsed into sleep.

--

--AFTERWARDS—

Katara woke up in a familiar tent. Turning her head to the open flap, she could see the dawn breaking over the horizon.

The tent was empty, and vigorous conversation took place outside.

Warm furs encased her body, guarding her against the chilled air that flowed through the opening of the tent. The smell of cooking fires carried on the air and her stomach rumbled in complaint.

She picked up on a conversation outside, on the other side of the canvas wall. General Fong was having a discussion with an old man. Though his voice wasn't raspy and ancient, it was heavy with wisdom and humor.

"We caught the last glimpse of her ship leaving harbor." General Fong was giving a report.

"How many Firenation soldiers were left in the cave?"

"We haven't counted them all yet, but their casualties far out-measure our own."

"Very well. Any alive?"

"A few, but they have already been incarcerated and confined."

"Excellent work, Fong. How is my nephew?"

There was a silence, "His face cannot be healed of the burn, but it will scar over."

"Hmm…What about the Waterbender?"

"Katara is on the path to full recovery." Fong's voice was filled with pride. "She has cheated death once again."

Katara heard the sound of the old man scratching his beard. "That may not play out be an advantage on our part."

Fond did not respond.

"We can worry about it later. Put on the jasmine tea! You cannot eat moon dumplings without jasmine tea!" He laughed heartily. When laughter was not returned, Katara heard the two men leave by their heavy footsteps.

Painfully, she sat up. The blanket fell from her chest, revealing that she was only dressed in bandages wrapped around her torso. They covered her breasts, so Katara considered them clothes. Gray trousers covered her lower half. They were soft and clean.

Katara tried to stand, her legs wobbly, offering all the support of noodles.

Before she could reach the opening, Zuko slipped into the tent. His good eye went wide when he saw Katara standing.

"Katara!" He rushed forward and lowered her back to the thick cushions and furs.

"I was doing fine…" Her voice was a hoarse croak.

His face looked so different. The burn had been healed into a scar. It would have been so much worse if Katara hadn't worked her magic on it. It covered his eye, forming a grisly slit around his eye. His neck bore light pink blemishes were the lighting had scorched him.

Sensing her thoughts, Zuko placed a hand over the angry scar. "I haven't looked in a mirror yet. Is it bad?"

She shrugged weakly, "You're still alive, aren't you?"

"So it's bad?" He saw straight through her.

"Sort of. But who cares?"

"How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

He sighed, but he couldn't be short with her. "You know what I'm talking about. You brought me back to life. And then you brought yourself back to life."

"Did I do that?"

He gave her a serious look, under which Katara shrank. "I can't do it again, so no more dying okay?" Her reply was submissive.

He hugged her again, holding her as close as was physically possible. "Don't do that again."

"I just told you I can't"

"I mean don't die again."

Even when she was as weak as an infant and in a world of aches, her wit still shown bright. Zuko loved it.

"So what happened?" Katara spoke into his shoulder.

"Azula, her friends, and most of the soldiers escaped."

"Aw they left already?"

"That's not funny."

She grinned sheepishly.

"After I went down," Pain reverberated in Katara's chest, "General Fong joined the battle. Toph had convinced him, and every Earthbender followed."

She smiled like a child receiving a gift.

"They freed the Water Tribe Warriors, and your tribe joined in. Azula was gone at this point."

Her smile didn't fade. "My father?"

Zuko held her at arm's length, "He's fine. Worried sick, but fine. And there's someone I want you to meet."

At his words, a plump old man in dark green dress robes pushed his way into the tent.

"This is my Uncle Iroh." Zuko spoke with reverence.

Iroh took Katara's hand gently and gave a subtle squeeze. "My nephew speaks highly of you, miss Katara. It is a warm pleasure to meet you." Iroh didn't seem to notice Zuko's heinous scar. But, more likely, he didn't care.

"I feel the same."

Iroh seemed to notice how raspy her voice was. "Which tea do you prefer?" He raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips slightly. Apparently, her answer was more than an offer to get her tea.

Katara pondered for a second then turned her eyes back to Iroh, "Jasmine please."

A smile washed over Iroh's face, "I knew my nephew had a good taste in girls."

Zuko blushed. "Get out of here old man." His words were respectful, despite the meaning.

"I'll be right back." Iroh rushed from the tent, overjoyed with something beyond Katara's reasoning.

Zuko and Katara were alone again.

Cerulean graciously collided with bright amber. She thought his gaze was lost to her forever.

"We have been unbelievably lucky." His voice was husky and mellow.

"Yeah we have." He was right. They were both alive. They had both died last night and that's the way it should've stayed.

"I would ask you where you want to go from here, but your decisions always get us in trouble."

She raised an eyebrow in a sultry fashion, "Oh do they? Where do _you_ want to go, then?"

He took on a serious expression. "The Moon Spirit told me about your little bargain."

Katara winced, "Really?"

"Really." He nodded. "We're going to find the Avatar."

She scoffed, "Where do we start?"

Zuko shrugged, not really bothered. "Why not the South Pole? After we pick up Sokka, that's where we're headed."

"Snow and ice?"

Zuko chuckled, "Snow and ice."

He whisked her into another hug, but this time, pressing his lips against hers. Her arms came up and wrapped around his neck, her fingers entangling themselves in his deep black hair.

His arms crept around her waist, holding her against his body. He never wanted to let go. If he let go, he was afraid he would lose her again.

Her lips parted, and he eagerly pressed his tongue past them. Heat formed between them, and their resurrected hearts pounded in their ears. Zuko couldn't hold her tight enough.

Their lips came apart and Katara rested her head against Zuko's chest. "You know what I was thinking about when you were…dead?" The word came with trouble.

"What were you thinking about?"

"The mothbats. I was thinking about how we could laugh about it now."

Indeed, they did laugh. "Why would you be thinking about something like that?"

"I dunno. I was _that_ crazy"

Iroh returned, holding a tray. On the tray was a teapot and a neat stack of three clay teacups.

"Nephew, I never asked, are you fond of jasmine tea?"

Zuko reluctantly let go of Katara. "I've never tried it, Uncle."

"Then you have not lived yet!" He eagerly poured the steaming tea into the small cups.

Zuko and Katara both winced at the irony, but took up their teacups when Iroh offered them.

Katara and Iroh both sipped the tea, savoring the taste. Zuko took one slip, gagged, and politely set the cup down on the tray before Iroh could notice the scrunched look on his face.

After a moment of contemplation, Iroh spoke seriously. "We'll be arriving at the harbor by morning. From there, we set out to the South Pole." Iroh held up a bag that bore the undeniable scent of seal jerky, and he laughed jubilantly, "By the way, how do I acquire more of this delightful food?"

Zuko rolled his eyes, and Katara giggle softly, "It makes up most of our food supply in the Southern Water Tribe."

"Then I will travel as a happy man!"

Zuko rolled his eyes again.

After more questions about the South Pole, Iroh bustled from the tent, eager to question Hakoda next.

"Your uncle is funny." Katara was giggling still.

"Glad you think so. You look tired."

She couldn't deny that, "Yeah, I am."

"Get to sleep, we set out this afternoon." He leaned forward and kissed her again, pushing her down to her bed. Her heart twilled.

"You seem eager." She gave him an accusing glare, "Hey, I thought you said snow and ice was ridiculous."

For what felt like the hundredth time this morning, he rolled his eyes, "Just go to sleep."

Her eyes were already closed. Before she fell asleep, she whispered softly, "I love you."

Zuko didn't bother responding. Her breath had already taken on the soft rhythm of sleep.

He sat, watching her sleep. His own eyes began to droop. He thought back on the last few months.

He didn't need a Firenation girl. No other woman could ever be as ineffable as Katara.

--

**Yep, there will be a sequel. Don't expect it any time soon, but there will be one. Hope you guys enjoyed this, and I hope I can make another story to top it. Thanks to all my reviewers! You guys are awesome.**


	18. Epilouge

**Epilogue**

The patrol of lost Firenation soldiers had practically handed over their ships to Hakoda's forces. Even with their drastically reduced numbers, the patchwork recruitment of Waterbenders, warriors, Earcthbenders, and even rebel Firebenders had easily apprehended and commandeered the small ships. It was good fortune to find such a distracted, unprepared and ill weathered crew aboard the lost ships.

Over the course of a week, a new vigor had set in among the soldiers. They ate and drank merrily, happy to still have their lives and their purpose. This war party had served their purpose in ridding the southern portion of the Earth Nation of all stationed Fire Nation forces, thus banishing the close threat to the Southern Water Tribe. They had also saved hundreds of small villages from being razed.

But they also mourned the dead, giving proper burials to both friend and foe. The remaining warriors took pride in the fact that their companions did not fall in vain.

Through the happier moments, Zuko and Katara spent every waking second together.

Katara was noticeably having difficulty recovering from their last bout. She sparred with Zuko, and when that had proved to be too rough on her, she had taken to meditation and practicing her healing on her own body.

But to no effect.

Whenever Zuko had raised his concern with her, she hushed him. Not only was she not healing, but she appeared to be withering.

The night before they would depart for the Southern Water Tribe, Zuko sat next to Katara at her tent's campfire. She had skewered a fish on a stick and was roasting it over the fire.

"Want some?" She chimed and waved the fish toward him.

"No, thank you. I'm not hungry." His tone foreshadowed something serious. "I want to talk about you."

"I told you, I'm fine. I just need time to get strong again." The flames danced in her ocean blue eyes, and her soft brown skin reflected the warm glow of the campfire.

"It's like... You're sick." The twinge in Katara's expression told Zuko he was close to his answer.

"Can we not worry about it?" The defiant tone that Zuko loved fended off any further discussion about her condition. She punctuated her request by firmly planting her skewer into the ground, just out of the flame's reach.

For the first time, Zuko was witnessing her in her own element. She wore the deep blue robes of a Waterbender tailor-made for her body. Her usually wild hair was tamed into one long, wide plaint that extended down her back. And she sat comfortably, among her own customs, sleeping in a tent of her own choosing, coming and going as she pleased.

"Zuko?" Her voice faded into Zuko's wandering mind.

"Hm?" His topaz eyes refocused on her face.

"I said we should get some rest. We're leaving early in the morning, and there's a lot to do aboard the ships. Especially for you." She was of course mentioning the fact that only Zuko and the handful of other Firebenders were the only ones who could operate the ships.

"Yeah..." He looked toward the beach where the looming black shapes of the ships were awaiting them. He once again lost himself in thought.

This time, it was not her voice that brought him back. He felt her warm hands cradle his face, touching his grisly scar without a second thought. Katara had leaned into him, pressing their lips together softly. It took him a moment, but Zuko returned the kiss eagerly, pulling her in closer by her shoulders.

Under the stars, all their problems seemed to evaporate.

In the morning, the encampment was loaded aboard the ships, and without a look back, they set sail.

**Look for the sequel, "Tides of War" I'll be good about keeping up on the updates, but expect longer intervals between them. **


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